The Secret Magic :1: Complications
by Karigan Marie
Summary: Numair and Daine try and live out their lives in peace. But a strange new evil and an even stranger good makes their lives more than complicated. Read and Review! Last chapter is UP! First story...COMPLETE!
1. New Life

**A/N: This, 'The Secret Magic' Saga, is the first of my work to _ever_ be seen by eyes that are not my own. I hope you all enjoy reading it.**

**_Disclaimer_: The Realm of Tortall and its surrounding nations belong to Tamara Pierce. The characters that I respectfully borrow for my stories belong to her and only her. There are a few new characters in this story; and they belong to me and my imagination.**

**_Posting this story:_ If you want to post my story/stories on your website or in you archives, I have no objections.**** However, I ask that you let me know where I can find them so that I might take a peek myself.**

**_Questions and/or comments: _I hope that whoever reads this on fanfiction.net will do me the honor and favor of reviewing. The reason I continue to write is because of all the wonderful support I receive from all the readers. So, please, let me know. As far as questions that you would like directly answered, you may email me at bebrandessmcm.edu or Instant Message me at elisa082482. I'll be happy to chat with anyone about my stories.**

_Rating:_** While this story is mostly PG-13, it does have some chapters that contain R-rated material. Chapters that contain R-rated material will have an A/N at the beginning of the page to indicate as much.******

**Thank you**

**Karigan Marie**

* * *

The Secret Magic: 1: Complications  
By: Karigan Marie  
Chapter 1: New Life

* * *

Daine leaned forward, placed her hands on her knees and took a deep breath. The nausea that had started a few days ago was still at full force. She wobbled towards a tree and with a violent heave, everything she had managed to get down at lunch rose up. Kitten, her dragonet chortled worriedly, her little head tilted to the side in curiosity.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked herself softly. The twenty-year-old Gallan Wild Mage shoved back a mass of curly brown hair that had fallen down around her face. It was nearly five in the afternoon and she had hardly eaten anything in three days.

Numair, her husband, and seen her vomiting just the night before and had instantly become worried. She didn't want to tell him that she was still feeling so sick. 'All he'll do is worry himself into a fit,' she reasoned. She rinsed her mouth out with some water from her water skin and gingerly started her walk back to the palace, Kitten hopping along beside her. "I guess an afternoon walk wasn't such a good idea," she conceded to Kit.

* * *

Later that evening, Daine and Numair sat for dinner with Alanna of Trebond and George, Lord Baron of Pirate's Swoop. Daine found herself relieved that everyone seemed much to busy chatting to notice that she ate a messily two bites of her food. When one of the servants took her cold food away, she refused to notice the worried glance Numair threw her from across the table.

On the way back to their rooms, Daine kept silent; she felt a bit nauseous again. She stared at the ground trying to hide the sick look on her face from Numair. When he unlocked their door, he stopped and turned to face her. "Daine, what's wrong?"

The question caught her off guard, "Hmm? Oh, nothing is wrong. Why?"

"Daine, you hardly touched your breakfast, you didn't eat half of your lunch, and you didn't even eat just now; yesterday you were sick." His voice was so full of worry for her. She let out an inaudible sigh.

"I...I just haven't been feeling all that well, that's all. I'm sure it's nothing, just a bug." Her stomach rolled hard and sharp at that very moment. She put her hand over her mouth and ran past their suite rooms into the privy. Numair followed her in with a worried frown.

Daine heaved up the little that she had eaten for dinner with retched sounds. Numair stood behind her, gently holding back her hair. He dipped a cloth in the water basin and softly placed it on the nap of her neck. Finally, the uneasiness faded and she closed her eyes in an attempt to relax. Numair pressed a cup up to her mouth and she swallowed gratefully. "Daine?" Numair asked.

"I'm fine," she muttered.

"No. Daine, you're not fine. I want you to go see a healer. You look like a ghost and you're heaving up everything you eat."

"Numair..."

"Daine. Please. You know it kills me that I can't do anything to help you. Please let me take you to a healer." His eyes were deep with pleading.

Daine sighed. "All right. Look. If I don't feel any better in the morning, I'll go see a healer. Deal?"

He smiled, but only the slightest bit. He gave a gentle squeeze of her hand and scooped her up in his arms. Carrying her to the bed, he kissed her nose. "Thank you."

* * *

As luck would have it, Daine felt retched the entire night. She was sick two more times that evening and slept no more than two three hours at most. By morning, she was grotesquely miserable. She finally managed to doze off a little after sunrise, though it was a very fitful sleep. She opened her eyes soon after to see Alanna sitting next to her on the bed and Numair standing next to the bed, a frown marring his handsome face. "…This is the third day in a row that she's been so pale. She was vomiting all last night. And…"

"All right, Numair," Alanna interrupted. "I think I'll take over now. Why don't you go wait outside?"

Numair sighed with annoyance before proceeding to exit the room. "Well, Daine, now that he's gone for a few minutes, we can talk."

"Alanna, what's the matter with me? I feel like I've been run through the mud."

Alanna smiled. "You're pregnant."

Daine's eyes flew open and up. She sat up so quickly, her nausea kicked in again.

Seeing the look of discomfort on Daine's face, Alanna took out a green stone necklace. "I felt it last night at dinner. You are glowing with life inside of you. Here, take this." She handed Daine the necklace, leaned forward and said, "Thing is, I think this is going to be a fairly hard pregnancy for you, Daine. Most women don't get sick as often as you have. Because of this, I want you to be extra careful. Understand?" She pointed at the pendent. "This necklace will help settle your stomach."

Daine was speechless. "How far along am I?"

"Four weeks. Give or take a few days."

"How am I going to tell Numair about this?"

Alanna snorted. "Well, you are his wife, Daine. Believe me, Numair wants children. He's going to jump out of his skin when he hears. Shall I call him in?" At Daine's nod, she looked to the door and called out. "You can come in now."

Numair opened the door slowly and walked in with some trepidation, a questioning look upon his face. Looking from Daine to Alanna repeatedly, he quickly became anxious. "Well?"

Alanna glanced at Daine and nodded encouragingly.

Daine looked up into Numair's eyes and saw the worry and fear. He was always so worried for her. 'Always trying to protect me from everything. If he could have, he would have put me in a safe little room years ago. That would have never have kept me out of trouble,' she thought with amusement. Her eyes filled with love for him. She cleared her throat and said, "I'm pregnant."

Numair's eyes widened so much, Daine was afraid they would pop out of his head. "You...you're what?"

Daine, sensing he needed to hear it again in order to believe her words, repeated it slower and clearer. "I'm preg - nant."

Daine levitated from surprise when Numair gave the loudest '_whoop'_ she had ever heard. She knew Alanna had done the same. Numair came running over to the bed and grabbed her into such a tight hug, she could hardly take a breath.

"Numair…I…can't…breathe."

He let her go instantly and looked deep into her eyes with such love it nearly brought her to tears. Before she even realized it, he had his mouth on hers and was kissing her with such tenderness and love she really did start crying.

Alanna had covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her smile; but she was letting out a full laugh of amusement.

Numair cupped Daine's face in his two large hands and had his face so close to hers their noses touched. "I love you so much, Magelet."

Daine felt silly for crying. But she was too happy to try to stop the tears. "You're really happy about this?"

"Of course, sweet. I'm so happy I could explode." He gave her a warm hug again. As he held her, he looked at Alanna with a huge, beaming smile. Alanna had calmed down and was motioning for him to talk to her outside. "I'll be right back, Daine." He gave her another sweet kiss and left her with orders to nap a little.

He stepped outside and couldn't control his happiness. He swept the Lioness up in a hug and swung her around. "Can you believe it Alanna? I'm going to be a father! Me! Numair Salmalin! A father!"

After Alanna had her feet back on the ground, he noticed her weak smile.

"What's the matter Alanna?" Numair asked with confusion.

"I already told Daine what I'm going to tell you, Numair. Except that, I need you to listen closely." Alanna's face turned into a worried frown. "Most women get sick when they're pregnant. It's normal; part of the cycle. Gods' know I was sick enough. However, Daine has it more than usual. It's not good for her to be sick all night. She needs sleep. And, she needs nourishment. If she throws-up everything she eats, it could be dangerous for the baby." If she doesn't keep down any food, than we could be in trouble, here." She had kept her eyes stern on Numair's face. She wanted him to understand how delicate Daine's condition was.

Numair's face had taken on a look of worry again. "Will she be all right?"

"I think so. It could be just a bad spell. Sometimes it happens. There were times I got so sick I wanted to die. I told Daine to be extra careful. But you know how much she doesn't pay attention to her own needs." Numair nodded. "I want her to stay in bed today and tomorrow. She is to eat nothing but clear soup. Hopefully this will pass." Alanna noticed a look of fear on Numair's face and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure she _and _the baby will be just fine. Just keep an eye on her."

Numair nodded. Eyes dark.


	2. A Day Without Rain

The Secret Magic: 1: Complications  
Chapter 2: A Day Without Rain  
By: Karigan Marie

* * *

_Two Months Later:_

Daine woke early one morning before Numair had even begun to stir. She stood in front of the mirror observing herself. She pulled her tunic up to expose her belly, which had the slightest amount of roundness. She looked thoughtfully into the mirror, searching for any signs of changes. It had been such a rough month. She got sick almost every morning; though had managed to keep a level stomach for most of the last few weeks. Numair watched her like a hawk. Everyday he would ask her how she felt and checked up on her regularly throughout the day. Surprisingly, she had not gotten sick this morning, yet; a small relief for which she was incredibly grateful.

She didn't notice him get up and walk up behind her. Numair saw what she was doing and wrapped his arms around her waste from behind, placing his chin on the top of her head. She leaned back against him and sighed in contentment. Numair caressed her bare stomach and kissed her neck tenderly. "You didn't get sick this morning. That's a good sign."

She nodded. "I feel like breakfast today."

Numair brightened dramatically. "Then by all means, let us scurry downstairs and feed this hungry child of ours."

* * *

Daine stood in the stables as she happily brushed Cloud. Kitten, who had caused a ruckus among the other stable horses, had been sent back to their suites to wait out her little tantrum. Daine had not felt this good in a long time, and she planned on enjoying herself. Cloud noticed her easiness. _You look much better today, Daine_.

_I feel a lot better,_ she replied silently

_That's good; you human mares are so delicate when you are carrying colts_. Daine laughed aloud at the comment before finding herself in the midst of a sneezing fit from the pollen that clouded the air.

All of the sudden, a sharp pain pierced through her stomach. Daine let out a strangled cry and doubled over_. DAINE? What is wrong?_ Cloud asked nervously.

Daine could hardly stand the pain that was swelling in her stomach. "I...I don't know," she whispered hoarsely. Another sharp pain sprung up. Daine cried out yet again. She fell to her knees, tears streaking down her face. "Cloud…please...go get help." Then, the world went dark.

Cloud ran outside in a panic. Looking around, she spotted Onua and Numair walking on the far side of the courtyard, deep in conversation. Cloud whinnied and ran up to them hurriedly.

Onua looked confused for a moment and then grew stern. "Horse Lords, Cloud! What are you doing out of your stall? If Daine finds out that you're misbehaving, she'll singe your tail."

Cloud pawed the ground anxiously and butted a confused Numair in the chest. Getting upset with their lack of movement, she grabbed his tunic in her mouth and pulled violently on it.

Numair frowned. "Cloud, what do you want?" He looked towards the stables and noticed Daine's stable bag sitting outside the main door. "Daine!" He whispered fiercely.

He sprung into a full run towards the stables. Inside, he looked around in a wild frenzy. "_Daine?_" he yelled. He looked over into the grooming area and saw Daine lying on her side. Her face was deathly pale and tears stained her cheeks. "Oh Gods! Onua!" he roared. He knelt down beside Daine and lifted her into his lap. "Daine?" He whispered softly to her. "Please Magelet, wake up. Please?" he pleaded.

Onua ran in and looked Daine over quickly. "We have to get her to a healer. Quickly."

* * *

Daine opened her eyes to a dimly lit room. She moved her head to look out a window and realized it was dark out. She attempted to sit up and was surprised when Alanna cam up behind her and helped her up. "Alanna? What happened?"

Alanna checked her pulse and than put her hand on Daine's head to feel her temperature. "You lost consciousness this afternoon." She was hiding something behind that strained calm look.

"Alanna?" Alanna looked at Daine. "Alanna, what happened?" Alanna looked back down.

"Maybe I should go get Numair. He's outside waiting. I'm sure he wants to see you."

Daine grabbed her arm and looked at her with pleading eyes. "Alanna?"

With a sigh and a complete look of sympathy, Alanna whispered, "You lost the baby, Daine."

Something inside her started to hurt A far off voice in her head started wondering what she had done wrong. She starred at Alanna without looking, unable to say anything. The pain kept getting worse. And that horrible voice seemed to be getting louder by the second. Her throat caught and she strained to keep in a sob. A single tear ran down her cheek.

Knowing it was time to go get Numair, Alanna leaned forward and kissed Daine on the forehead. "I'm so sorry, Daine." She stepped outside.

Daine still couldn't say or do anything. She just starred into space. The pain wasn't getting any better. She didn't expect it too. 'My baby' she thought. 'It's gone.'

* * *

Alanna stepped outside into the small hallway. On one side of the hallway, King Jonathan, back against the wall, looked down at his feet. On the other side sat Numair. He had his head in his hands and looked miserable. With the soft click of the door, Numair looked up. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was a cloud of pain. "She's awake," Alanna whispered. Numair jumped up and started to walk to the door. Alanna stepped in his way. "Numair, listen. Daine kept asking so I had to tell her." She saw the question in his face. "She's not taking the news too well. Although, I wouldn't expect any other reaction. She's still getting used to it. Be careful with her."

Numair looked at Alanna with some annoyance. As if he would be anything but careful with Daine at a time like this. Remembering that Alanna was just looking out for Daine, he nodded gratefully and stepped into the room

Daine sat on the bed, arms wrapped around her knees, her head hidden within her arms. It hurt even to speak. He could hardly get a word out. "Daine?" he whispered. She lifted her head to look at him and he felt his heart twist in pain at the sight of her. Her usually bright blue gray eyes were red and puffy; her beautiful face was flushed with the effort of holding back emotions. Her chin trembled violently. He didn't know what to do or say. When Alanna had told him not two hours ago about the baby, he'd wanted to blow things up. Now, here was Daine, just hearing the news; he could see the pain etched in her eyes. Suddenly, Daine couldn't hold back anymore. She broke out in sobs. He ran to her and held her up against his chest. She held up shaking hands to cover her face; curling up into a trembling ball. Numair just held her tight, letting her grieve. He rocked back and forth with her in his arms whispering soft words to her. A few tears rolling down his own swarthy face.


	3. If at first you don't succeed

The Secret Magic: 1: Complications

By Karigan Marie

Chapter 3: If at first you don't succeed…

* * *

_A few weeks later:_

Daine had stayed in the infirmary for a week. Although Numair had stayed by her side each night, giving her comfort, it was much more comfortable in her own room and in her own bed.

Daine lay in her bed, curled up on her side. She had been thinking about her unborn child and all the things that they had planned. She had had everything worked out; she had been so excited. Numair had been even more so. Now, everything was gone. She felt her throat catch and the tears try and break free again; she felt like crying. But, with an enormous amount of effort, she managed to force back the tears. She felt the bed shift as Numair crawled into bed. He put his arms around her, pulling her back up against his chest. With a soft kiss, he whispered, "I love you, Magelet."

"I know," was all she whispered back. She hadn't considered being a mother before she became pregnant. Her life was, for the most part, always so full and hurried, the thought had constantly been pushed back. Now however, she wanted a child with a ferocity that surprised even her. She wanted a child so much, it hurt. "Numair?"

"Hmm?" He questioned, half asleep.

"Do you think we could try to have another child? I mean," she explained softly, "…the first one was a surprise; we never planned it. Would you want to try again, if we could?" She had rolled over and was looking at him earnestly.

Numair lips tugged into a smile. "It certainly would be fun to try." She shoved his shoulder and shifted to roll back over, but he caught her and turned her back. "Yes, Daine, I want to try again."

Daine's eyes lit up. "Really?" He nodded. She looked down and said softly, "I didn't know how much I wanted a baby until I got pregnant. I still want one. I want one so much, it hurts."

Numair gathered her up in his arms and kissed her tenderly. "Then we shall try again, sweet."

* * *

Trying was quite easy, as trying tends to be. Numair and Daine made love so often that they were getting little to no sleep. Which, to be honest, was not all that different from the first few months of their marriage. And so, when Daine got her moon cycle the first few times, she wasn't upset. They had been married for over a year before she had gotten pregnant the first time. And they hadn't been restrained in their activities at that point either.

* * *

On a bright sunny day in the middle of September, Daine was in the stables grooming spots when Onua walked in. "Well, well. If it isn't the mysterious Daine Salmalin." At Daine's blush, Onua continued with her teasing. "I hardly see you anymore. What on earth have you been up to?"

Feeling her blush spread down her neck, Daine cleared her throat before answering. "Numair and I have been busy lately."

Onua raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "I see." She laughed when Daine flushed furiously.

After a few moments of silence, Daine's embarrassment faded into indecision. She built up her courage finally and decided to confide in Onua, who was looking blankly at spots' coat. "Onua...?"

"Hmm?"

Daine swallowed. "I'm late."

Onua furrowed her brow in confusion. "Late for what?"

Daine sighed in exasperation. "Late...late, as in my monthly cycle, late."

Onua stopped scraping Clouds horseshoe and looked at Daine with wide eyes.

"Late? How late?"

Daine swallowed with some difficulty. "Two weeks."

Onua, suddenly dropping Cloud's leg, starred at Daine. "Two weeks! Have you gone to a healer yet?"

"No…"

"Well, why not?"

Daine sighed. "What if I'm not pregnant?"

"What if you are?"

"I guess I'm just a little scared."

Onua rolled her eyes as she grabbed Daine's arm, dragging her to the nearest healer.

* * *

Daine couldn't believe her ears when the healer, Milan, told her she was pregnant. Daine closed her eyes and started to cry with joy. She jumped up, hugged the laughing woman, and ran to her and Numair's suite. She pushed open the door with impatience, quickly making her way into Numair's study. She was instantly sorry for bursting in.

Numair looked up and the intruder and soon found it to be Daine. He threw up his arms and yelled, "Daine! Wait!" The delicate project Numair had been working on exploded with the gush of air that came into the room and threw Daine back through the door, to the floor in the middle of the living area. Black dust covered her face, chest and legs. She struggled for a few seconds to breathe in the air that was knocked out of her. She gave two small weak coughs that she would later swear produced two small clouds of smoke; she blinked in confusion. Numair ran into the main room and quickly knelt by her side. He cupped her face in his hands, with a frantic look on his face. "Oh, Gods! Are you all right, Magelet?"

Daine, still dazed nodded and gave a little smile. "Just surprised, is all."

She saw his frown give way to a small smile that then proceeded to turn into a chuckle. She began to laugh with him. He looked as bad as she did, with black dust all over him. Although, not as much of his face was coated in black like hers. She knew she looked ridiculous. Soon enough, they were both laughing hysterically. After a few minutes of intense laughing, they calmed down enough for Numair to produce his handkerchief, which he then preceded to use to wipe Daine's face reasonably clean.

He looked deep into her eyes, love pouring out of them. "I'm glad you're laughing, Daine. I haven't seen enough of your gorgeous smile lately." He kissed her then, softly at first, but when she responded with a lust, she felt him deepen the kiss passionately. Within seconds, she found her body responding to his, her hips rocking up against his, her breath turning into pants.

She pulled away with a small blush. Sighing, he stiffly got to his feet. Reaching down he helped her up as well. "Why did you come bursting in here like that? You know that my experiments are delicate. You could have been hurt."

Daine had almost forgotten her initial reason for coming in so quickly. She jumped up with a small yelp. "Oh, I almost forgot."

"What?" He asked curiously.

Daine smiled and turned to pace a little before letting herself say it.

"Daine? What?"

Finally, she turned to him with a huge smile on her face and proudly said, "I'm pregnant."

Numair's eyes widened, a smile spread across his face. "You are?"

She nodded vigorously. "Mmhmm."

Numair closed the gap between them in one large step, sweeping Daine off her feet into a tight embrace. He kissed her again. He kissed her with such passion; it made her body feel like jelly. He finally let her slide to the floor; but only for a second, he immediately became excited again and swept her up into his arms, twirling her around and around. She laughed at his antics and told him she was making her dizzy. He laid her on their bed and placed himself of top of her. Propped up on his elbows, he looked into her eyes. "I'm so happy Daine; you can never know how good you make me feel inside." She laughed slightly. He raised his eyebrows in mock annoyance and said, "You dare laugh at me lady?"

"And what, pray tell, are you, Master Salmalin going to do about it?" She giggled softly.

"This." He bent down and kissed the corner of her mouth, then her nose, her eyelids. He nibbled on her neck, sending deep tingling shivers down her body. He breathed warm breath against her ears and playfully suckled on them. Within moments, Daine was completely swamped with the heat of desire, and Numair was well aware of it. "How's that?" He asked with a deep heat in his voice.

"Eeee..." She said with nonchalance.

He opened his eyes wide in shock at her and then proceeded to attack her neck and shoulders. Daine erupted into fits of laughter.


	4. And When the Angels Weep

* * *

The Secret Magic: 1: Complications

By: Karigan Marie

Chapter 4: And When the Angels Weep

* * *

During the first few months of Daine's second pregnancy, everything progressed nicely. She had morning sickness often, but never nearly as bad as with her first pregnancy. Numair, although more confident of Daine's condition, continued to not only watch her carefully, but to also insist she go see a healer every week to make sure everything was as it should be. During her third month, Daine worried herself sick about the baby; thinking that any moment, she could miscarry again. But, to Daine's joy, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Everyone gave her encouragement. Queen Thayet checked up on her regularly, Alanna, whenever she came to the palace, would check on Daine herself. Even King Jonathan would inquire how she felt and if everything was going smoothly whenever he happened upon her. Daine, worried at first, began to fill up with excitement. She was going through a model pregnancy, and that was a great sign.

Her fourth month however, took a turn for the worse. At the beginning of May, Daine caught a bad case of the spring flu. She found herself in bed for a week and a half coughing up her lungs. Even though Alanna was away, Numair made sure she had the best of care. He hardly ever left her side, even when she begged him to go to bed and get some sleep. He refused to leave her.

After Daine recovery, she then was forced to endure horrible morning sickness. She was always tired, always cranky, always sick, and always _not_ hungry. The first three illnesses didn't worry anyone. Women always had those symptoms when pregnant. But Daine hardly touched her food during meals. Even when the King quite frankly ordered her to eat everything on her plate during dinner one night, she could not manage to get down half of it.

Numair was nearly out of his mind during this difficult time. He tried desperately to encourage her to eat and get rest, but to no avail. Daine tried, though. She tried to eat every time. But she could hardly put food in her mouth without wanting to vomit. She knew the situation was bad, very bad, and she worried so much that she hardly got sleep at night.

* * *

One morning, Daine opened her eyes. She felt a bit strange. She scratched at an itchy nose before sneezing. 'Uugh, must be the pollen,' she thought. She turned her head to the side and saw a neatly written note from Numair.

* * *

Magelet,  
Jon sent for me early this morning on business concerning the illegal trade going on at the borders; you remember, we dealt with some smugglers last year. I didn't want to disturb your rest. I should be back by early afternoon. Please, _please_ try to eat breakfast. Take it easy and do not push yourself.

Love you,

Numair

* * *

She smiled saucily. He _would_ leave her here in bed to sleep while he got to find out more about the traffickers down south. With a sigh, she sat up in bed to start her day. 'Why do I feel numb?' That's when she noticed, with absolute horror, that blood smeared her nightgown. She checked herself for injury. "Where is it coming from?" She asked frantically. Her face turned stark pale when she saw that it came from between her legs. "Oh gods, no!" She whispered. She crawled out of bed and went to the door. She wasn't in pain, but the numbness she felt didn't stop panic from creeping up her spine. Tears welled up in her eyes. She looked down the hall frantically but saw no one. She yelled out for help desperately. "_Help me! Somebody, please, Help Me!_" She fell to the floor with a screaming sob. Panic swamped her. "Please, no!" she whimpered. "This can't be happening."

* * *

Down the hall, a servant turned the corner in a hurry. When he saw Daine on the cold stone floor, he ran to her side. "Me' lady, what is the matter?" Noticing the uncontrolled sobs, he looked her over. He immediately saw the problem. The woman, who clutched at her stomach, allowing the nightgown to stretch over a bulging belly, was pregnant and bleeding. Bleeding from a place he knew a pregnant woman should not be bleeding. He carefully picked the young woman up and carried her down the hall in a gentle hurry. He whispered kind words to her in an attempt to calm her fears. "Now now, me' lady, you be alright, ye see.

"…on that note, Jon, I don't know what to tell you. These break-ins to the mages wing are starting to worry me. There are herbs missing that could be dangerous to people. My Lord Provost is squirming to get his own hands on the crafty thief that has been in and out of there with no trace this past year."

* * *

Jon sighed, and looked at Numair with tired eyes. "I see. Alright then, let's see if we can get some more information on it first." Numair nodded and turned to go out the door. "Numair, wait a moment, please." The tall mage turned back to his king with a questioning look. "I just wanted to ask how Daine was doing. She seems weak lately."

Numair sighed and ran his hands through his hair nervously. His eyes took on a look of worry. "She's...doing alright, I suppose. This month has been rough; she's had bad morning sickness. You already know she's not been eating all that much. She seems to be doing better, though."

At that, a bang on the door made them both jump in startled surprise. Jonathan made a face at such a loud knock before saying, "Come in."

A girl about 14 in age came rushing in, out of breath. She looked a little frightened at first but then spilled out a message. "I came up here with a message from the Lioness for Master Numair. She told me not to wait for anything," she blushed "not even his Majesty."

Numair furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What is it?"

"She says to tell ye that ye'r wife is in the infirmary and tha' ye should come down right away. She said it was fair important."

The girl had hardly finished the last sentence when Numair ran past her out the door. Jon followed speedily.

Numair's mind raced as he ran down the corridors. He didn't want to think about what was wrong. Had she gotten hurt? Was she sick? Was the baby in danger? The last thought made his stomach roll and his throat catch. She had had a miscarriage already. Another was a strong possibility. He knew that, that's why he had been so careful with her these last four months. He tried to push that thought to the back of his mind.

He reached the infirmary hall and saw Onua and Thayet standing next to a door. Onua seemed out of breath too, he guessed that she had gotten there not much more before he had. Thayet however was not breathing hard, but her usually beautiful Ivory face was shaded with concern. "How is she? What's wrong?" he said with raged breaths.

"I got here just a moment ago, I don't know anymore than you, Numair." Onua looked as if she were about to cry.

Thayet lifted her eyes to Numair's and managed to swallow a sob as she said, "Alanna and I were walking down the hall and a servant came around the corner with Daine in his arms. He said he heard a yell from your hall and came to see what it was. That's when he found Daine, crying on the floor. She was bleeding." She saw fear in Numair's eyes again and continued. "She was bleeding from between her legs." Numair gave a small moan. "Alanna took her and we rushed down here. She's been in there for about a half an hour."

The blood in Numair's head drained and he felt himself stumble a little. Jon held him up and helped walk him to a chair.

A few moments later Alanna came out. Her face was sad and tired. He stood up with hope in his eyes. Alanna sighed and said, "Numair…" she shook her head, "I'm sorry, the baby…" She didn't have to finish.

He let out an angry cry as he turned towards the wall and slammed his fist hard against the stone, black magic cracking the stone wall. He shut his eyes tight and tried to keep control. A tear threatened to come out. He turned back around and looked at Alanna. "Is Daine alright?" She nodded. "Can I see her now?"

"Not right now." She held up her hands to calm him when he looked upset at her words. "We have to take the baby out, Numair. It will take a while. Daine knows what's happening. Duke Baird will do it. I'll be there at her side, along with some midwives. He says it's best if you're not there when he does it. She has to be awake during the first part, and it can be painful."

Numair's heart lurched at the idea of his precious Daine enduring the pain. He nodded weakly and whispered, "What should I do?"

"You can pray. She needs it. She needs to be strong to get through this without to much pain." Alanna said this in a calm yet strained voice.

Thayet, who had tears streaked down her face went up to Numair and gave him a small kiss on his cheek. "We will all pray for her, Numair." Jon and Onua nodded agreement.

* * *

After an hour of waiting, Jon was forced to return to some issues of the state, Thayet accompanied him with sadness. Onua had to go finish mending one of the Rider pony's broken legs. She couldn't just stand around making herself crazy. Numair understood that they didn't want to think about it now. He didn't want to either. But he wanted to be by Daine's side as soon as they would let him. He was deep in thought, trying to comprehend why the God's would do this to his Daine. It didn't make sense. She is the Daughter of two Gods. Not only is one the Hunt God, a very strong God for all of his being a minor one, but also the Green Lady's Daughter. Why hadn't Daine's mother come down to help them? With such background, Daine shouldn't have had a problem with childbearing. It hurt to think about. His hopes had been so great with the first child. Now, when he had finally begun to allow himself to think that things would be all right for her second pregnancy, it had all fallen to pieces. Two children gone, he thought. 'I wonder what they would have been like.' A boy? A girl? Would they have had magic like his or like Daine's? He would never find out. He would never see his children. His heart twisted at the thought. His throat squeezed up and, to his utter horror, felt himself begin to cry. He leaned forward against the wall, his arms up, his head hidden between them. He closed his eyes as silent sobs escaped his lips.


	5. Learning to Live Again

The Secret Magic: 1: Complications

By: Karigan Marie

Chapter 5: Learning to Live Again

* * *

Daine hardly spoke after her second miscarriage. She kept mostly to herself, and never smiled. Her heart had broken, plunging her into depression. Numair tried, desperately, to cheer her up. He would shower her with love and affection. He never mentioned the idea of trying again to have children. Afraid it was too soon, he never brought up any of it. Daine on the other hand, thought about it constantly. It never escaped her mind. She was a midwife's daughter; she knew exactly what two miscarriages meant. One, and extreme care was required. Two and the sad truth was an all likelihood of barrenness. It tortured Numair to see Daine hurting so much. He wished she would open up to him, tell him all her fears, and assure him she would be all right.

When August arrived, Princess Kalasin returned to the castle from the convent. Daine and she had kept in touch over the years; Kalasin had been the closest thing to a sister Daine had ever had. Five years younger then the Wild mage, Kalasin had consulted Daine on many issues young women had. The Princess eagerly stepped forward to comfort Daine in her time of need. They spent many mornings together in the stables and Rider camp, the Riders having gone to their summer camp. They spent much of their time looking after the spare ponies. They conversed for hours on end. Daine seemed much happier with Kalasin near. It gave her someone to care for. Realizing years ago the protective streak Daine carried for the young princess, Kalasin allowed Daine to take on the roll of older sister, an older sister Kalasin was happy to have.

Numair was immensely relieved to see Daine smile every now and again. Even though her heart wasn't in it, it seemed as though the sadness that had overtaken her eyes had faded somewhat. Daine talked more often to others, went to banquets and dinners where she would dance and chat. After the first few Kalasin had dragged her to with a desperate plea to keep her company, Daine's began to come around.

Daine herself didn't notice the days go by. They seemed to blend together to form endless hours. Those first few months had been some of the worst in her memory. The pain didn't come from the outside. It came from within. The horrid inner-voice that had sprung up after her first miscarriage, the one she had dismissed so easily, had forced its way into her mind again soon after the second. The voice was of questions and doubt. She would run the months during her pregnancy through her mind, desperately searching for what she had done wrong. And while she couldn't think of any answers to that question, she slowly convinced herself of her carelessness and unobservant behavior. Whatever she had done, it had caused this entire nightmare. It was consuming her, creeping into every facet of her life. Since the second miscarriage, Numair made love to her almost sadly and restrained. It was only further indication of her fault in the situation. 'How can he even look at me?' she wondered.

* * *

Shortly after her 21st birthday, the king held a banquet for the Tortallan mages. An Earth mage, one who specialized in agriculture and Land magic, brought along and introduced his wife and daughter. They were presenting the child to court. Customarily, when a noble couple or Mage had a child, they would introduce the child to their monarchs during the first few months of said child's life; a sign of respect to their monarch. They would reintroduce them again five or six years later, when the child was able to talk and understand the world around them. It was also a way of introducing the child to the societal world in which they belonged.

The little girl's name was Constance of Demur, a northeastern fief of the kingdom. She was very well behaved during the small ceremony, but as soon as dinner was served and everyone started chatting and relaxing, she turned into a laughing, giggling child. Everyone was instantly in love with her. The child was so adorable, everyone would give her a little hidden treat. Daine watched the child with wishful eyes. Would that be what her children would have been like if they had survived? At one point in the evening Constance fell flat on her stomach. Her mother stood up and walked over to her to help her up. The child simply looked at her dusty dress and with a trembling voice said, "I'm sorry momma; I know I'm supposed to be careful to not get my pretty new dress dirty, but I tripped." Her mother simply bent down and kissed her daughter on the cheek. She then poked her daughter in the stomach and Constance broke out into a fit of giggling shrikes. The mother picked her up and swung her into a hug, playfully tickling her and laughing merrily.

When Daine saw this, her heart began to throb again. Her chin trembled slightly and a fresh threat of tears came to her eyes. Numair observed her from across the room and looked to see at what she was staring. When he realized she was looking at the mother and daughter he looked back to her with worried eyes.

Kalasin walked to the bench Daine where was seated, took her hand and massaged it softly. "Are you alright?"

Daine looked to Kalasin quickly, as if she had been a million miles away and suddenly realized it. She gave Kalasin a small smile and squeezed her hand in reassurance. "I'm fine, Kali. Thank you." Kali smiled back and made a face when her father motioned for her to join him. Daine swallowed hard; apparently, by some phenomenon of natural law and physics, her throat was now producing rocks. The thought was a bitter one. She looked down at her hands, which rested in her lap. 'Just don't look back at them' she told herself as she played with the lace on her emerald green dress. 'If you don't look, they won't bother you'. She snorted. "Out of sight, out of mind."

"What was that lass?"

Her head snapped up at the sudden interruption in her thoughts. George stood there in a blue silk tunic and black breaches. "George! I didn't see you there."

His face gave way to a smug grin. "Well, that's from all those years in the business of buyin' and sellin' merchandise."

She snorted. "Buying and selling huh? Did you sell many of those 'oh, so wonderful' ears?"

George's face twisted in a grimace. "They weren't in much demand," he said with a note of what she suspected was irony. She smiled despite herself and laughed. "Well now, I haven't seen you laugh like that in a while darlin'. Where have you been hidin' that pretty little grin at?"

She blushed prettily and whispered, "Thank you, George."

His smile faded slightly and he said with trepidation, "You know, Numair is worried about you, Daine. If you would talk to him, I'm sure you both would feel better."

Her smile vanished instantly. "I don't think he wants to talk to me about it. I've hurt him. I don't think he'll ever want to talk to me about it."

George's eyes became wide. "Here now, you know that's not true. Numair loves you more than anything else in this world. Why would you think that lass?"

She looked down at her hands again and sighed. "No reason, I guess. I'm sorry, George. I know I must be depressing you."

He smiled at her. "No, but I have to go over and speak with my Lioness for a few moments about the children. You'll be alright?"

She nodded at him and gave him a tiny smile. He patted her knee, got up, and obediently walked up to his wife, who had been beckoning him over for the last few minutes. Daine sighed as she stood up. 'I shouldn't look so depressed in front of all these people. It won't do to get them all worried over nothing.' She looked over towards Numair. He was in deep in conversation with the Lord Provost. She considered what George had said. But, just as quickly, dismissed it entirely. 'No point in making him angry with me.'

* * *

"It really is quite distressing. Even with a guard placed at the doors every night, the thief manages to get in. Yet, there is no consistency in their actions. It only happens two or three times a month. And who every it is, is taking various objects. None connected to each other. The herbs, the scrolls, the notes taken from mages…none of them are connected. It's as if they're doing it just for fun." Numair said in annoyance.

"The door's locks are never opened. That spell you cast sets off an alarm if the door is opened at night. It means they're not going through the door. And there are no windows…perhaps there are some passages connected there that we are not aware of?"

Numair looked up. "That is a possibility."

"I'll speak to his Majesty about it tonight. It's the only thing we have to work with at this point." He sighed. "I'm getting tired of hearing all the mages complain about scrolls with personal notes being stolen." He grumbled.

Numair smiled. "We mages get angered easily when it concerns our work."

Just then, George sauntered over and cleared his throat. "My apologies, but could I speak to you for a moment Numair?"

"Yes, yes. Go ahead George. I should go speak to the Lioness anyhow. Thank you, Numair." He nodded and headed off.

"George." Numair said in greeting. "How are you?"

* * *

Daine had seated herself next to some scholars who were ranting on and on about the next meteor shower. She tried to get lost in the conversation, but soon her mind and eyes wandered. Her eyes looked over to Numair. He was standing next to George, who was in turn speaking to Numair with a look of determination. Numair however, seemed to be distracted. He was looking at something across the room. She followed his point of view and landed on Constance of Demur and her father. He had her up in his arms pointing at one of the tapestries. Most likely explaining the History it depicted. Daine looked back to Numair. He had a look of longing that made Daine catch her breath. 'Oh, Gods!' She had known Numair wanted children. But seeing that sad look on his face was too much. Suddenly, Daine didn't want to be in the room with so many people. She got up abruptly and walked out the dinning hall doors. Her hands were shaking badly; she had to clasp them together to keep them steady. Her chin was trembling, and all she wanted to do was curl into a little ball on her bed and cry herself to sleep.

She didn't get too far. She felt someone grab her by the elbow and turn her around. It was Numair. She tried to pull away but he pulled her into a tight hug. She struggled for a few moments, trying to push away from him. "No, please let me go," she pleaded weakly. But he held on, hushing her.

She didn't understand why he wanted to be so close to the woman who had killed his children. 'Why does he still love me?' she asked herself miserably. She didn't think she could keep from crying anymore. She looked up into his face and said with a shaky and pleading voice, "I'm so sorry, Numair. Please, please forgive me. I didn't mean it. Please, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Numair didn't understand. "What are you sorry about, Magelet? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, I did." Her voice cracked with her next words. "I killed them. I killed our children. It's my fault that they died. It was me. Please, oh, Gods, forgive me, Numair." She was trembling violently.

Numair couldn't believe his ears. Daine thought that she was responsible for the children. She had convinced herself it was all her fault. George had said that this situation could easily get out of hand, if they didn't talk about it. He never thought it would be like this. He grabbed her shoulder with one hand and her chin with the other. He forced her to look at him. He looked straight into her eyes and said with a stern voice. "No. Daine, it is not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. I know this. Everyone knows this. You need to know this. It just happened. I can't forgive you if there is nothing to forgive. I love you, Magelet. I always have and always will. Nothing will ever change that. _Nothing!_" He said the last word fiercely.

She knew he was right. She always had known. It just seemed so much easier to blame herself for it. She wouldn't have to deal with the pain that way. At least, that was what she had thought. Turns out, it hurt more this way. He continued to stare at her, waiting for a reaction. She felt he heart lurch and felt those blasted rocks form again in her throat. Biting he lip to try and control her self, she nodded almost imperceptibly. She gave in at last and a small sob escaped between her clenched lips and teeth. Then, another and another. Soon, she was sobbing. Numair gathered her up in his arms and held her, one hand around her shoulders, the other holding the back of her head to his chest. He buried his face in her hair and whispered softly. "You're going to be fine, Magelet. _We _are going to be fine." She knew he spoke the truth. She would be fine. And so would they.


	6. First of Few

The Secret Magic: 1: Complications

By: Karigan Marie

Chapter 6: First of Few

* * *

_4 months later:_

Majestic torches lit the banquet hall. The best tapestries hung from the walls, giving the mighty room a sense of warmth. Rows of tables placed strategically in advantage of the space. They lined the layout of the great rectangular room, with one richly carved table placed at the opposite side of the grand wooden double doors. Servants ran around frantically sorting out the last details on all the tables. They straitened napkins, made sure there were no spots on the crystal glasses, and set up hundreds of candles for lighting. Pitchers of water, juice, and wine were at all the small side stations; ready for a servant to grab it up quickly. Soon, all the guests would arrive to celebrate Jonathan's 20th year as reigning monarch, and their worst nightmares would surface; pompous, stuck up, demanding, intolerable court nobles.

* * *

Daine sprinted down the hall, Kitten hot on her heals. 'Could this day _get_ any shorter?' she thought with annoyance. She was late. Very late. Onua was going to kill her. She was supposed to meet the formidable horse mistress at the palace gates twenty minutes ago. But one of the palace cats had gotten into a vicious fight with one of the strays that occasionally got into the palace. The poor little Tomcat had lost and lost bad. It had taken nearly an hour to heal the suffering little animal. Now, she ran for all she was worth down the corridors praying for dear life that Onua hadn't left for the market place without her. They were supposed to go pick up her uniform.

Yes, uniform. Daine now had an official uniform. Two years ago, the priests at the City of the Gods had given her the honorable rank of Mage. On top of that, Jonathan had bestowed upon her the original title of Wild Mage. There weren't any fancy robes or decorations for this new form of Wizardry. But last year, in Serain, another person, a boy around the age of 10, had shown signs of Wild Magic as well. The powers weren't as great as hers perhaps, but enough to have need to be trained. Then yet another person had surfaced. Apparently, now that it was widely known that wild magic existed, more and more people were found with it. The Priest had proceeded to insist that some sort of robe be attached to the rank of Wild Mage; one that only those with that rank could wear.

Since she was currently the only Wild Mage, they had given her some say in the matter. She didn't want a robe. As Numair had complained, they were too thick and hot. She had gone to the Queen and begged for help. The design they had come up with had Daine feeling somewhat like a soldier, and she had said as much. Queen Thayet simply replied that if she didn't want a robe, she had to have a uniform. The Priest would not accept anything else. Next thing she knew, Daine had been shuffled off to the finest shop in Corrus to get measured for the first Wild Mage uniform. Tonight would be the first time she would wear it. That would have made her nervous enough; but to top it all off, somehow, everyone had found out about it. She didn't like people staring at her. This was going to be horrible.

Grimacing at how late she was, Daine decided to take a short cut through the Mages corridors. Making a sharp turn around a corner, she was caught completely off guard. A girl, maybe of eight or nine years, backed out of one of the doors, closing it behind her. Daine slammed into the poor child. They both went flying to the floor, the contents the girl was holding crashing to the floor. Daine hit the ground with an un-lady like "oomph,"; the girl let out a small squeak like sound. Kitten sat two feet away, her head tilted to her side slightly, as if asking why they were on the floor.

"I'm so sorry," Daine said as she got to her feet. She walked over to the stunned girl and helped her stand.

"That's alright," She said while dusting herself off. She then bent down and picked up a handful of scrolls with a pair of worn brown leather gloves.

Curiosity picked at Daine's brain for a moment before the girl spoke up again. "Master Connor sent me down here to fetch his scrolls. He's working on some Rubian translations. He'll be angered if I take too long. I should go."

"Sure," Daine agreed hesitantly. Why was there something about what she said that she couldn't quite pick out? The great bell chimed loudly, making Daine jump. "Oh for the love of…" She again made a mad dash down the hall. Taking the steps three at a time, almost killing herself in the process, she slammed out one of the many entrances to the yard and raced towards the stables.

She saw Onua walk around the corner of the stables with her arms crossed over her chest, a perturbed frown marring her face. She turned in time to see Daine skid to stop in front of her. "Running a bit late are we?"

"I'm sorry, Onua; it's just that there was this ca…"

Onua held up her hand. "No time for explanations. We have to get to the Market. Come on." She turned and walked towards an already tacked up Cloud and Mangle. Daine picked up Kitten and trotted after her.

* * *

They walked into the shop and were immediately assaulted by the shop's owner, Karrin. "Where on earth have you two been? The banquet starts in two hours and you haven't even tried on the uniform," she scolded. Karrin looked back at one of her assistance and said quickly, "Maya, bring the uniform, we need to…" she stopped suddenly as she got a look at Daine. She looked her up and down with a look of horror. Daine looked at herself as well. Her tunic was stained from the various falls she'd had today, her breeches had grass stains on them, her hair was a mess of tangles and she noticed her fingernails had dirt under them. She looked back at Karrin and smiled weakly. "You haven't even bathed today, have you?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Well, no. I was go…"

Again, she was cut off. "Maya, go prepare the tub with hot water. We have our work cut out for us." Turning back to Daine, Karrin grabbed her hand and dragged her to the back, berating her lack planning, Kitten trilling angrily at her as well.

"I'm sorry," Daine sighed out loud. She wondered how many times she had said that today.

Daine couldn't believe the next two hours. They had bathed her, scrubbing at her skin with nearly unbearably hot water until she was pink, scrubbed her hair with soup, twice, and put a cream in it, claiming it would tame her curls for a few hours. Then, they had rubbed her down with lotions and oils, cleaned her nails and dried her hair. She looked over to where Onua was getting ready and scowled. "Why aren't they doing this to you?"

"Because," Onua laughed, "I'm not going to be starred at by all the mages and nobles. _You_ have to make an impression tonight, Daine."

"That's right," Karrin said. "This uniform will be forever connected to your magic. A lot of time and money went into the creation of it. If it pleases the Priests tonight, they will make it sacred. So not only must you pull off a spectacular entrance, you have to shine."

Daine furrowed her eyebrows. "How much money?"

"Fifty gold Nobles," said Maya.

"_What_?" Daine screeched. "I'm going to be wearing _fifty_ gold Nobles?"

"No," said Karrin dryly. "You're going to be wearing an outfit that _costs_ 50 gold Nobles." Kitten whistled with amazement.

"What in Shakith's name could make a uniform cost fifty gold Nobles?" Daine asked.

"You'll see," was the only answer she received.

* * *

Daine starred at the full-length mirror in front of her with wide eyes and swallowed slowly. She couldn't believe her eyes. The woman she saw in the mirror looked… amazing. She wore golden-brown breeches made out of the softest cloth. Her tunic was white, reaching down to mid-thigh with slits that reached up to her hips on the outside of her legs. The slits, along with the bottom border of the shirt had an inch and a half thick lining of gold cloth. The collar was completely gold cloth; as well as the lining in the V neckline. A brown leather belt with small round pieces of gold spaced evenly around it fit the tunic to her modest curves perfectly. The buckle of the belt had a golden horseshoe with wings, the Wild Magic insignia, outlined in gold. Another belt, this one matching the golden brown of her breeches hung right below the first. Hooked right below the brown belt on her right side, it left the other side to fall at a slight angle on her hip, a sheathing belt. The angle, meant to give access to a gold handled dagger, also had small round pieces of gold evenly spaced around it. If she reached across with her right hand, she could reach the dagger for defense; although the uniform was not made to fight in, it was a state uniform. The same style of dark brown leather from the first belt was used for her boots. They reached up to just below her knees ending in a slight upward point in the front. The top of the boots had a thin gold trim line to match the tunic. Larger round pieces of gold than were found on her belt had been placed directly underneath the gold lining following the curved design, with a green crystal surrounded by gold on the center front piece.

On top of all this, was a deep rich hunter green coat made of thicker cotton reaching down to just above her knees. A collar of the same color as her boots had been attached and had a thin gold line less than an inch from the border. It was cut to blend with the gold collar on her tunic. The coat collar reached to almost the end of her shoulders. The sleeves, which reached down to her wrist, where folded back once to create slightly lighter cuffs. The very end again lined with a thin gold band. Four brown buttons where set on the edge of the coat with matching gold rimmed slits on the other side. Two thin lines of gold thread ran across the bottom of the coat.

They had braided her hair, which now reached down to the middle of her back, with tiny threads of gold, making her hair shimmer when she moved. Small strands of curly hair had been left out to frame her face. Dark emerald ear rings that Numair had given her for her birthday matched suspiciously to her outfit. They had kept the face paint to a minimum. Karrin had said she should let her natural beauty balance out the splendor of the uniform. _'Uniform! Ha!_' she thought. She could never think of this outfit as a simple uniform.

She was afraid to move or even breathe. Never had she worried about scuffing her boots before. But now, with _these_ boots, which surely cost five Nobles each, she would have to walk like a stork not to mess them up. She had to admit, she'd never felt so beautiful before. Which was odd really, she had worn dresses she thought that would have made her feel more beautiful. But something about the uniform boosted her self-confidence. She felt like she could walk into a room of kings and still be important.

Kitten whistled in appreciation and turned a beautiful deep blue of pleasure. Onua had an odd look on her face. "What?" Daine asked finally.

Onua shook her head slowly. "Daine, I don't believe I've ever seen anyone pull off a piece of clothing like you are right now."

Daine arched an eyebrow. "I'm sure there will be plenty of gorgeous noble women at the celebration, Onua."

"Yes, but it's not the same. Besides Daine, you are the first of a select few. Your station is going to be as important as a black robe with the Gift. And the rarity of your magic makes you all the more important. You haven't even reached your full potential yet, Daine. You're only twenty-one. Imagine the power you will have in ten years." Onua smiled. "You think that the first to wear the black robe didn't have to be shown off as well." She sighed. The Great Bell chimed, its ring could be heard from near a mile away. "There is no escaping that bell. Come on, we're late."

With that, they thanked Karrin and Maya and headed off back to the palace. Daine begged Cloud with every inch of magic she had not to get her dirty. She thought Onua looked very nice too. Her silk tunic and breaches brought out the dark brown of her eyes. She didn't notice the people stop along side them as she talked to Onua. She didn't notice the guards look at her with awe and lust.

When they finally got to the entrance of the hall a half hour late, Daine tried to swallow past the lump in he throat, but it was too dry. She was really going to be starred at after arriving late. To her delight however, another noble couple had arrived late as well. They entered before them and were announced by the herald. "Ready?" She heard Onua ask.

"No," was her weak reply. They stepped through the doors. The herald opened his eyes wide at her and then smiled. Nodding to Onua in recognition he called out there names.

"Onua Chamtong, of the K'miri Raadeh and the Wild Mage, Veralidaine Salmalin."

Daine held her breath as people turned to look and then stare in astonishment. 'Oh dear,' she thought in sudden panic.


	7. Wild Goddess

I couldn't help put write another chapter as quickly as possible. I'm having excessive fun with this. *smile* But I'll most likely feel the pinch when I have to stay up all night working on papers for class. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter.  
  
Story in between 'ababababab' means it's a flashback!  
  
Complications  
  
Chapter 7  
  
By: Karigan  
  
'The Wild Goddess'  
  
Daine held her breath as people looked to see and then stared in astonishment. 'Oh dear' she thought in sudden panic.  
  
Daine heard shifting to her side and turned her head to see what exactly Onua thought she was doing. She was walking off to the left, and no one was following her with his or her eyes. They were all still looking at her. Onua winked when Daine gave her a look that could shatter glass. Turning back to the front, she looked ahead. The room was rectangular, with long dinning tables placed to match. This gave a huge open area in the center of the room for dancing and discussion later on in the evening.  
  
However, right now, most of the guests sat at their respective tables. All eyes on her, she couldn't help to notice again. 'All right,' she thought. 'You knew you were going to have to do this Daine. Just get it over with. One foot in front of the other. Gods! What are they all staring at?'  
  
She hadn't thought at the shop what an affect her appearance would have on the public. All around her, servants, mages and nobles alike were realizing how unique this young woman was. What they saw was not the usual Daine that ran around the palace and forest keeping the animals calm and healthy in ripped clothing. What they saw was an unearthly woman. She wasn't beautiful in the common sense of the world. The Queen had taken that title easily and had kept a firm hold on it, although it seemed that Kalasin would inherit her mother's title.  
  
Numair had been standing at Alanna's table speaking to her when he had heard Daine's name announced. She wasn't his student anymore, so he wasn't needed for the ceremony. Because both their days had been so full, they had agreed earlier on simply to meet at the banquet. Daine and he had concluded that children were something they both still wanted. They weren't going to try for a while; that had been Numair's decision. He recalled that argument vividly.  
  
abababababababab  
  
"Numair, Duke Baird said that I'm perfectly healthy. There is no reason not to try again."  
  
"And risk having your heart broken again?" He said with a hard look.  
  
She tried to reassure him. "I'm prepared to have my heart broken any number of times Numair; if it means I can give us a child."  
  
He had taken her in his arms and said, "Daine, I just need time to get over the heart attack all of this has given me. I almost lost you twice in one year. Just give yourself some time. Give me some time, all right. You just got over the mountain of grief from the last baby and I think some time of just the two of us will do us some good. Do not give me that look Daine. I want a child just as much as you do. However, we do not know why it is not working. Maybe we should try and figure that out first."  
  
She sighed when she looked at his pleading eyes. "All right"  
  
ababababababab  
  
His eyes had gone wide. He was in no way prepared for what he saw. Sure, he'd always known Daine was beautiful; but when he turned his head to see her, he was struck dumb.  
  
She wasn't wearing countless jewels, nor was the outfit intricately designed. It was really very simple. Its splendor was in the simple lines of gold that were placed strategically to accentuate Daine's figure. The breeches and tunic gave her a sense of independence and self-reliance, while still completely declaring her femininity. The belts she wore achieved this. The first belt fit snugly against her waist, turning her modest curves into richly noticeable ones. The second belts angle made her steps appear fluid and sexual. The boot's soft clicks while she walked down the four steps declared her reality. The heal that gave her the appearance of having longer legs made her seem goddess-like. The rich deep green of her open coat, caught the air as she decended, and flapped harmoniously behind her. The green oddly enough brought out all the lightness of her blue eyes; a sharp contrast to the dark jacket. Her hair was by far the most eye-captivating feature. It had been braided loosely but perfectly. The gold threads placed within the braid caught the torches glow and lit her head more beautifully than the creators had ever hoped for. The few strands of hair that framed her face brushed her forehead and cheeks softly as she walked.  
  
His body's reaction was immediate. He didn't think he'd ever been hit with so much lust in his life. He knew he wasn't the only one with this reaction.  
  
George, who loved Daine and saw her as a niece of sorts smiled proudly at her. Recalling when Alanna had entered the Great Throne Room before Jonathan's coronation with Thayet on her arm, he couldn't help but see the beautiful independence the two women shared.  
  
Alanna was no less impressed then George. She knew the effort it took to walk up to the King in a formal ceremony, especially if you were a woman succeeding in a man's world. She herself had insisted on wearing breeches when coming back to court 20 years ago; that Daine insisted on doing the same to prove a point brought back memories.  
  
Daine was crossing the large space with her head held high. She had thought she would be too nervous to walk without shaking. But when she took the last step to the main floor, a strange calmness had taken over. 'It has to be this uniform' she thought. Her eyes wandered for just a moment around the room. She was shocked to notice the heated stares from various young knights. Numair looked as if were going to hall her up to their room and do sinful things to her. After her initial blush at the thought, self-assurance and pride surged through her blood. Her steps became purposeful and she straightened her back and shoulders. The panic that had momentarily taken over when she first walked in was now forgotten.  
  
She stopped a few feet from the beautifully carved table, placed her left arm behind her back and her right arm in front over her stomach and bowed deeply. King Jonathan sat in a beautifully carved chair. He wore royal blue robes over his knighthood gear, with a gold sword at his side and the royal seal. Queen Thayet sat to his right in a slightly smaller chair. Her red dress contrasted her pail skin perfectly, bringing out all her beauty. Next to the Queen sat Kalasin in an Ivory white dress. On the King's left side, sat Roald. Having become a knight just recently, he was finally able to hold the knights gear and shield. He wore the same royal blue robes as his father with the exception of a 'prince's' seal instead of a king's that declared the young man heir.  
  
Thayet found it hard to believe that this powerful young woman had once been a scared girl running from her past. It seemed funny that so many of the powerful faces in this court had such harsh backgrounds. Daine had run from Galla after her family's slaughter and had thought herself mad. Numair was a wanted man in Carthak for many years. Her own self had been a refugee from Serain, trying to escape her father's tyranny. She couldn't help but beam at the young woman who had come so far in such a short amount of time.  
  
Jonathan's thoughts ran along the same line. However, as King, he also considered the luck that had him welcome Daine to Tortall 8 years ago. The alliance he forged with that simple act of kindness was coming back ten fold. He recalled the first time he had spoken to Veralidaine Salmalin.  
  
ababababababa  
  
"Excuse me - Your Majesty?"  
  
"Yes, my dear?"  
  
"I'm sorry I can't help more. With the sensing, and my da and all."  
  
If I've learned anything as a king, it's been I never know when someone will be able to help me. I have a feeling you'll be most welcome in this realm, Veralidaine Sarrasri."  
  
abababababab  
  
The king smiled. Who would have thought that small girl would become one of his most powerful mages and allies.  
  
He spoke clearly for everyone to hear. "Welcome, Veralidaine Salmalin."  
  
Daine stood, back strait, and answered, "Thank you, my lord. I am pleased to have been invited to this grand celebration in honor of your True and Just reign."  
  
"This is a special day for you." He commented. "Your Wild Magic is now known throughout the lands; and soon others will join your rank. The City of Gods request that a sacred robe or uniform be assigned to the newly accepted craft. Have you come prepared to propose a solution?"  
  
"I have, my lord. I wear the proposed uniform with pride in hopes of pleasing the Priests and our Gods."  
  
"Very well then." Jonathan stated. He turned his head and beckoned to a Priest who sat among fellow priest. "Master Klein, please join us."  
  
The old Priest got to is feet and walked over. Bowing deeply next to Daine he said. "My Lord."  
  
"Master Klein, you have been sent by the City of the Gods to Judge the uniform in question. Is this correct?"  
  
"Yes, Your Majesty. That is correct."  
  
"Then you may begin your observation."  
  
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The Priest turned to Daine, "Veralidaine," he said in greeting.  
  
"Master Klein" she responded.  
  
"If you please Veralidaine, spin in a circle." She did so, slowly. "You have chosen a good color, I believe. Green represents the wild, or nature. Being the first of its kind, and being that it is for ceremony, it obviously is going to be more grandiose than a traveling uniform; but the simplicity of the golden designs shows modesty and humility, while at the same time declaring its value, much like the owner. The maker's choice in design is stunning, I'll admit. It gives off an aura of command and power, while still keeping a feel of the owner having responsibilities." He looked Daine up and down thoughtfully. The entire room was silent for those few moments. "Would you please remove the coat, Veralidaine?" A servant stepped up and helped her step out of it. The sleeves of the coat fell away to reveal the sleeves of her tunic. This got a gasp from their audience. Sleeves usually were loose. But the sleeves on Daine fit snuggly to her arms; arms that were well muscles yet slender. The very end of the sleeves flared slightly at the wrist and reached her knuckles. A slit was placed on the underside of each wrist. Beautiful thin gold thread rimmed the edges.  
  
Numair knew his eyes were about to pop out of his head he was staring so hard. Breeches and tunics hardly ever made a woman look good. It didn't make them look bad, but there was no added beauty or femininity. This, however, was an entirely different story. She looked like a wild Goddess. He knew what the Gods had offered Daine when they took her to the Realm of the Gods after she killed Orzone. Become a Goddess or stay mortal. He was glad to hear she had chosen to stay mortal, but had tried to picture what Daine would have looked like as a Goddess. This pretty much hit the nail strait on. He had told Daine that it was true Thayet was extremely attractive, but she had her own something special. That something was her Wild beauty. No one could look as wildly beautiful as Daine, he concluded.  
  
The Priest circled her a few times, seemingly unaware of the features that had all the other men in the room drooling. He looked at her belts, especially the buckle, and her dagger. He seemed to be scrutinizing the symbolism of all she wore. He then turned to her and said, "You are a remarkably beautiful young woman Veralidaine. Perhaps your wild personality is what makes this uniform compliment you so well."  
  
"Thank you." She said softly. Knowing that so many people were staring at her body was making her nervous again.  
  
He then turned to the King and said, "This is more then acceptable to the City of Gods Your Majesty. The maker of such splendid work should be highly complimented." Daine suddenly had a flash of Karrin jumping for joy at what would most likely be her greatest accomplishment. "It is the wish of the Gods that this uniform be made sacred. From this day forward, no one but those with the rank of Wild Mage may wear this sacred uniform. So mote it be." He voiced.  
  
"So mote it be," chorused the room.  
  
Finally, Daine was dismissed by the King and allowed to walk to her table. She blinked when she saw Numair standing there. 'Wasn't he over by the Lioness a second ago' she thought. He was holding out a hand to her, his face held a small grin. She placed her hand in his with a smile and was pulled closer to his body. "I am the envy of every man here tonight," he said hotly. "I am going to have to be careful from now on; someone might try and kill me so that the wild goddess will be available again. She blushed at his words and broke into a wide smile. His eyes, which had been steaming before, suddenly smoldered. "Do you know what that smile does to me?" he asked in a raspy voice.  
  
She felt the blood start to pound in her veins again and had to pull away before she fell into his arms. She looked down shyly, and whispered, "Later".  
  
"Definitely," he whispered back.  
  
The evening passed by quickly. She got countless compliments and a few offers she was embarrassed even to begin to believe came out noble's mouths. At one point of the evening, she spoke with Master Connor. "I hear you are working on the Rubian Translations, Sir. I accidentally ran into the servant girl who was bringing them to you. May I ask how that is going?"  
  
He gave her a strange look. "Daine, I never work on those. I absolutely detest translations. I would have thought Numair had told you that."  
  
She blinked. Then blinked again. "But I thought-"  
  
"Daine, the Rubian translations, are you sure? They aren't aloud to be removed from the Room. Are you sure you heard her correctly?" He asked.  
  
Daine's brain was suddenly processing the information from earlier that day. 'OF COURSE!' she thought. Numair had said that at one point. The Rubian translations were too delicate and old to be moved around. That's why it had seemed odd to her. The sound of her name pulled her out of her thoughts. "What?" she asked.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"Oh yes, yes. I'm sorry Master Connor. Um, could you excuse me please? I just thought of something." She didn't wait for an answer. Not remembering to crab the her green coat, she turned and walked out of the double doors she had entered a few hours before and quickly walked up the nearest steps. She strode towards the mages wing purposefully. She turned the corner and saw a guard around 25 years of age posted in the hall. "Hello." When he turned to see her, his eyes went wide and he gulped. Completely forgetting what she had on, she continued speaking. "My name is Veralidaine Salmalin. The Wild Mage. I need to enter the mages study."  
  
The guard, realizing who she was, stumbled to the door and unlocked it with shaking fingers. His eyes would glance over at her every few seconds. When he finally got the door open, Daine walked past him looking thoughtful. When she turned around to thank him, she noticed his eyes were traveling up and down her body. She realized suddenly, with a blush, that he was looking places Numair would not appreciate this man looking. 'Goodness' she thought. 'These breeches and this tunic sure have an effect on people.' "Thank you." She managed.  
  
He nodded still eating her with his eyes. The embarrassment faded to annoyance. She rolled her eyes and continued into the dark room. She lit a small candle and looked over the tables quickly. Nothing was on them. She turned to the shelf and carefully started scanning the books.  
  
The guard was looking into the room and again was staring at her. The soft light of the candle made the golden threads in her hair shine to form a golden halo around her head. He gulped, trying to keep himself in control. Surely, she was a Goddess that had come to tease him. "There gone," She said flatly.  
  
"What?" he asked, breaking out of his gaze.  
  
She turned to him and again in a flat tone remarked, "The Rubian scrolls are gone."  
  
To be continued.  
  
I'm really getting into this. I hope all of you like it. Ignore any stupid mistakes. I edit my work, but don't put a real college effort into it. *smile* I'm just lazy. Review, review, review, review. I love to get Reviews.  
  
Thanks, Karigan 


	8. The Great Chase

Oh Goodness! I had a dream last night. I fell asleep contemplating my next chapter and I dreamed up the best ending to the story. It's still chapters and chapters away, but still, *jumping up and down in anticipation* I'm ready to explode with details and fantasy. My imagination has been set loose. Beware! Woooooooohooooooooo!  
  
Complications  
  
Chapter 8  
  
'The Great Chase'  
  
SLAM! The Lord Provost's fists landed on the table, echoing through the small room. "This is completely unacceptable. Glaring at Daine he sputtered, "Are you telling me that some - some GIRL, a mere CHILD, is the person responsible for all the thefts this past year?"  
  
Daine had gone back to the banquet hall and spoken to Numair about her findings. He in turn had gathered up the Lord Provost, Alanna, George, and Onua. Letting the King know where they were going and what they would be discussing, -he couldn't just get up and leave his own celebration- they had gone to a private meeting room to try and solve their current problem. And what 'was' their current problem? Apparently, a girl of no more than eight or nine was the sneaky little thief that had been snatching many valuable and some not so valuable documents and artifacts.  
  
Feeling all the body heat contained within the small room, Daine had slipped out of her coat and placed it on a cushioned seat neatly. At the Lord Provost outburst, her head snapped up. Furrowing her eyebrows and scrunching up her nose at his choice of words concerning the culprit's gender, she tried not to let the contempt she felt for him at the moment seep into her voice. "I didn't say that. I said 'I believe this girl stole the Rubian scrolls. Keeping that in mind, we cannot disregard the idea that she could be 'our' famous thief. In fact, it's a probability. But I don't know for sure.'"  
  
"But that doesn't make any sense," George stated. If that were the case, which I doubt it is, that would mean this girl has been stealing with the expertise worthy of the Court of Rogues for nearly a year and a half. You said she looked eight or nine. How many seven year olds can pull off something like that?"  
  
"Hmm. Well, it 'is' the only tangible evidence we have for the moment. At least we know what to look for. Daine, what did she look like?"  
  
Daine thought back to the run-in in the corridor, trying to picture the girl. "I didn't get a good look at her. I was in a hurry. She had a wrap covering her hair and she looked down the entire time I was apologizing so I don't know what color eyes she had."  
  
"That does not help us Daine," The Lord Provost said.  
  
She glared at him. "I know! She wore gloves, brown ones, I thought it was unusual for the task, but she may wear them to hide something. So we could look for a girl wearing gloves when not needed. She was very pale. I remember that. Not bad pale, she looked like she hadn't seen the sun in a long time."  
  
"Alright," Said Alanna. "I'll fill Jonathan in on what's going on. My Lord Provost, you can tell the palace guards what to look for. We will place another guard in the mages wing, this one 'inside' the room. Let us hope this is our girl, because I personally am getting tired of this wild goose chase."  
  
Later that night:  
  
Numair and Daine entered their rooms tiredly. Daine could not believe that so much had happened in one day. With the uniform, the banquet, the girl, then back to the banquet, it was a wonder she had not collapsed yet. She carefully slipped her coat off. She was walking to the corner to hang it up when Kitten ran through her feet, affectively tripping her. Numair caught her just in time from behind. "Careful," he whispered. Did she detect an odd tone in his voice? She smiled at the thought.  
  
"Thanks," was all she managed to get out.  
  
He took the coat from her, without stepping away from her back, and placed it across a cushioned seat. He reached down and interlaced his fingers with hers. Daine felt a deliciously familiar heat begin to rise within her. Keeping his hold on her hands, he raised her arms above her head and gently placed them around his neck, snuggling her back against his chest. Then, with the lightest touch, he traced his hands down her wrists, past her arms, around the curve of her elbows, past the crease of her underarms, past her breast and ribs and then snaked them across he stomach, relishing in her tiny shivers of pleasure. He nuzzled her hair and neck and then whispered hoarsely, "It's later."  
  
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. She turned her head slightly to the side in order to see him. When she met his eyes, she smiled wickedly. "It sure is."  
  
A few weeks later:  
  
Numair and Alanna walked through the halls discussing a troublesome spell when they heard a loud crash from around the corner. "What was that?" asked Numair in confusion. Alanna opened her mouth to answer when a small figure launched itself around said corner. Incorrectly estimating the sharp turn, it nearly slammed into the wall. It skidded with barely enough time to avoid the hard stone blocks. Now said figure was charging towards them. From around the same corner charged one of the palace guards. Seeing Numair and Alanna he yelled, "THIEF," while pointing at the figure running from him.  
  
The figure, or rather, young girl, who was sporting a hair cover and brown leather gloves had been looking behind herself to judge the distance between the guard and herself. Having heard him yell out in font of her, she turned her head back to the front to see what he was looking at. Her eyes went wide and she skidded to an almost complete stop, and quicker than Alanna thought possible, pushed herself through one of the hallway doors. The following events would be amusedly known throughout the castle for many years to come as 'The Great Chase'.  
  
Looking at each other quickly, Alanna and Numair both took off after her. They reached the door the girl had entered just when the guard had. They ran through in time to see the girl open a door leading to the room next to it. Following her through, all three of them suddenly felt a pang of stupidity when the girl exited the room back into the hall. They had had her surrounded, and she managed to get away easily.  
  
They found themselves again running down the hall after her. Numair threw a net of his black colored magic out and was stricken with amazement when the cloudy threads of the net vanished completely after settling over her. It didn't even slow her down. Alanna attempted a similar spell and had the same results. "Our magic doesn't work on her. We're going to have to catch her the old-fashioned way.  
  
"Perfect," muttered Numair. The girl pushed through a set of double doors into the indoor practice courts.  
  
"Keep chasing her through the doors. I'm going to try to cut her off." Alanna took a right down the hall and disappeared. The guard and Numair continued after her. The sudden 'bang' of the doors flying open caused the practice between Sir Raoul, Captain of the King's Own and Onua to stop abruptly and turn their heads to look.  
  
"Hey!" yelled Numair. "Stop! Come on, just stop!" They all knew about the girl that they believed to be the culprit. Onua jumped at the girl when she ran past them; but the girl dodged her and hopped on top of a practice sword shelf just in time. She ran across the shelf and took a step up onto the padding shelf. Raoul ran up to the shelf and jumped up, trying to catch her leg. She crawled into an airshaft, small enough so only she could fit.  
  
Buri, who had been sitting across the room yelled, "Where does that lead?"  
  
"The Kitchen!" Responded Onua. Stampeding through the doors and around a corridor, they pushed their way into the Kitchen; startling the working cooks.  
  
"Did a small girl run through here?" Demanded Numair. They all shook their heads 'no' in confusion. "The airshaft. Where is the airshaft that leads to the courts?" Just then, a crash came from the corner of the room. They turned and saw the girl frozen. Apparently, she had knocked over some pots on the shelf while crawling out of the airshaft located near the top corner of the room. She threw herself over their heads in an attempt to land on another shelf to high for them to reach.  
  
She didn't quite make it. She slammed up against the side of the shelf, desperately grabbing for the edge. Unable to hang on, she fell to the floor; noise filled the room as dozens of pots fell in the process. She quickly crawled under a table, all the Tortallans reaching for her. Frantically dodging their hands, she almost made it across. Looking back to see, she was surprised when Onua grabbed onto her left ankle with a triumphant "HA!"  
  
Onua awkwardly tried to hang on, a difficult task while being stretched out the way she was. She felt her hand rub up against a hard object on the girl's ankle under the breeches and blinked in confusion. The girl shrieked in pain, completely catching them off guard. Being so close to the girl, Onua thought it sounded like a hawk's screech more than it did a girl. The girl turned her face back to see her foot; and Onua was shocked to see her eyes flare a brilliant red.  
  
With renewed strength, the girl violently kicked at Onua, freeing her foot. She practically flew out the kitchen. Roaul growled in frustration. "It's like chasing a bird inside a room!" Again, they took off after her, leaving the cooks to stare after them in confusion.  
  
Flying around another corner, she came to a screeching stop when she saw Alanna run down the hall towards her. Looking back to see five people there, she decided to keep on her previous coarse. She barreled into the lioness with enough force to drive them both to the floor. Alanna wrapped her arms around the girls waste with a vice-like grip. "Just hold 'still'!" Alanna screamed. Again, the girl kicked her way free. The effort it took for the small girl to accomplish this had all the Tortallans shocked. While she had been struggling with the lioness on the floor, the cloth around her hair had come loose. It fell away to reveal silky long flaming hair. Brighter even than Alanna. Most of the hair was bright red, but there were streaks of lighter golden reds throughout. It seemed as if her hair was a rolling mass of fire.  
  
Alanna got to her feet with a roar of anger. The girl had stumbled to her feet and had taken off again. Around the corner, a little bluish green creature appeared, Kitten. The dragonet sat up on her hind legs and tilted her head in curiosity. The red haired girl's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of the baby dragon. In panic, she stopped running so quickly, she tripped over her own feet, landing face down. When the girl looked up, Kitten was mere inches away from her face. A squeak escaped the girl's lips and, to the surprise of the now six Tortallans behind her, apparently decided she would rather go through the six of them than the dragon.  
  
She tried to run through them, but six Tortallans were harder to get through then one had been. They grabbed on to her, 'barely', and wrestled her to the floor. They all just sat there; catching their raging breaths after the girl had stopped struggling.  
  
"Good Gods!" Breathed Buri. If that isn't a work out, I don't know what is."  
  
To be continued  
  
A/N: This was a fun chapter. I hope you like it. I personally find it funny. But it wasn't just for fun. It really is important in the end. I'm already started on the next chapter; so don't worry, I'm spitting them out as fast as I can. Thanks for all the support. Keep the reviews going. I want to know you like my work.  
  
Thanks, Karigan 


	9. The Interrogation

The last chapter was way too much fun. I want to explain a few details. I got a few questions along the lines of 'WHERE WAS DAINE?' Well, as in real life, not everyone can be around for all events. It would be unrealistic of me to imply that Daine had a hand in every single part of the story. Besides, this story is not JUST about Daine. (Well, ok. It is about Daine, but not completely.) Nevertheless, do not fret, my pets; I promise she is in this chapter. Secondly, I want to make-sure every one pays close attention to the details of the last chapter before reading this one. Because I am sure, you will be surprised. Hehehe.  
  
Also, if you would like to see a picture of the 'GREAT ME', send me an email at bebrandes@smcm.edu (that would be my College address) and I'll send you a pic. Cool? Cool!  
  
Hoppuschick182: My evilness is far greater than yours is. *Wicked laugh*  
  
Ok enjoy the chapter. Karigan.  
  
Complications  
  
Chapter 9  
  
'The Interrogation'  
  
By: Karigan  
  
"SIT!" ordered Alanna as she placed the girl in a chair. "And don't even think of trying to pull a stunt like that again!" She was practically seething with irritation. She looked at the four guards in the room. "You four, watch her. Don't take your eyes off her. Don't let her even get out of that chair. I'll be right back." She stomped out the door of the small windowless room, holding a thin container of ice to her shoulder. Outside, stood Numair, Buri, and Raul. "Where is Onua?"  
  
"She went to find Daine. She should be back shortly," answered Numair.  
  
"Alanna, what in the name of Shakith just happened?" Buri questioned.  
  
"That's what I would like to know." They all turned their heads at the new voice. Jonathan walked up to them with Onua, who was holding a cloth of ice similar to Alanna's to her jaw, Daine and Kitten on his heals. "Why don't you fill me in, because you five have turned my palace upside down in a matter of minutes?"  
  
They told their story, each filling in their own story throughout the events of the last hour. Daine looked at them as if they were crazy, trying desperately not to laugh. Jonathan looked thoughtful at first, but then broke out into a chuckle. Soon he was laughing loudly. The five Tortallans, not at all amused by the king's reaction, glared at him. "I would have given my throne to have been able to see that."  
  
"I fail to see the humor in my having almost broken my shoulder when that little brat plowed into me!" Alanna said through clenched teeth.  
  
"She's just a child Alanna." Daine said quietly.  
  
"That CHILD kicked me in the face!" snapped Onua.  
  
"All right, all right. Everyone calm down. Let us talk to her and hear what she has to say." Onua and Alanna decided to leave, because they were to angry to think rationally. Raoul and Buri didn't have much to say either; they had just been part of the duck hunt.  
  
Jonathan, Numair, Daine and Kitten walked into the heavily guarded room. The room completely stripped of furniture, void the one chair the girl was sitting in grumpily glowed steadily by four torches. "Excuse us." The king said to the four guards without taking his eyes off the girl. They quickly exited. "Daine?"  
  
Daine looked at the girl closely. She had the most brilliantly red hair Daine had ever seen. It reached down to her waist in a silky thin waterfall. Pale blue eyes stared at the floor in stubbornness. The girl's skin, the little she could see, was almost white. 'How long has it been since she's seen the color of day?' She wore worn brown leather gloves, white tunic and brown breeches and boots. "It's her," she stated.  
  
The girl's eyes jumped up at the sound of Daine's voice, recognition shone momentarily and then something akin to guilt clouded her eyes for a second before she focused on the little dragon next to Daine. Her eyes grew huge again and she tucked her feet under her as if getting ready to jump at the smallest hint the dragon would step forward.  
  
"Kitten, why don't you go as well? It seems you make the young lady nervous." Kitten grumbled as she sulked out, confused about being made to leave. "What is your name?" Jonathan asked kindly. The girl seemed to shift uncomfortably before looking up at him.  
  
"I cannot tell you." Daine thought her voice had a melodic ring to it. Soft yet clear. Moreover, an accent. Not the typical common accent of the streets; it had a foreign sound to it. Her words almost blended they were spoken so richly.  
  
"Why not?" The king continued not fazed.  
  
A shrug was the only response.  
  
The King decided to get right to the point. "Did you steal the Rubian scrolls?" They girl's eyes shifted to the side nervously. She swallowed uneasily and shifted yet again. "I see. Correct me if I am wrong my dear, but I am going to assume that is a 'yes'. Therefore, my next question is going to stem from that assumption. Are you the person that has been breaking into the mages wing for the last year and a half?" She took a deep breath in contemplation; and with the tiniest amount of movement, nodded.  
  
The confession made, Jonathan lowered himself so he was at eye level with the girl. "Why?" Daine remembered the first time she had seen the King; she had practically fallen over her feet to please him. It was a reaction ALL women and girls had to his amazing blue eyes. This girl however, didn't seem to have that reaction. She stared strait at him for a few moments. She seemed to be weighing her options. She opened her mouth to answer and then with some sudden realization snapped it shut. The king furrowed his brow quizzically. Her eyes looked around the room and then landed back on the King. She opened her mouth again, but no words came out. She exhaled roughly and then tears of frustration began to rim around her eyes.  
  
It dawned upon Daine that this girl was afraid. "There's nothing to be afraid of." "What is frightening you?" she asked soothingly.  
  
"Do you listen well?" she asked the king directly.  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"Do you listen well?"  
  
"Yes - I have learned to pay very close attention to everything people say. It is a good quality I believe."  
  
"Yes." She looked away casually, as if having a casual conversation. "I know lots of people who listen well." The king looked a bit lost. Numair and Daine had a similar look crossing their faces. The red head lifted her eyes to the king; she gave a stare meant to send a message loud and clear. "I know people who listen VERY well."  
  
The Kings eyes widened the tinniest bit in realization. "NUMAIR!" Numair had gotten the message loud and clear, too. Black power sprung from his hands and flew to the corners of the room. It spread and covered the walls and door. Daine felt rather silly. She hadn't understood what the girl was getting at; but when Numair sealed the room so no one could listen in, she realized the girl had been afraid of someone listening to her talk.  
  
The King was furious. A listening spell in HIS castle! He did not like feeling as if he could not have a private discussion in his own castle. He took a deep breath, controlling himself. He looked at the girl. "No one can hear what we say now."  
  
The girl looked thoughtful for a moment; and then she let it all loose. "You're not supposed to put us in cages!" she suddenly bellowed, startling them all. "You're supposed to be nice to us. And we are nice back. And we need sun, too! 'I' need sun! We're not slaves you know! If I had just stayed close to my mama like I was supposed to, none of this would have happened! I wouldn't be away from home! I wouldn't have been dragged across the dessert! I wouldn't be hurting people! I wouldn't be taking things that weren't mine to take! And most of all I wouldn't be HERE!" Her last words had come out in a screech of anger.  
  
All three of them recoiled. After recovering from the verbal blow, Jonathan thought, with amusement, that this spit fire of a girl sounded and acted a lot like a certain Lioness of his; with a temper to match.  
  
Numair simply stared at the now red-faced girl. He was confused, to say the least. They had never even seen her before today and she was blaming them. His interest peaked however, with the sound that came out of her mouth at the end of her rant. Had he heard a hawk-like shriek come out of that girl's mouth?  
  
The girl exhaled and sat back in the chair in resignation. "I just want to go home," she said with a quivering voice.  
  
Sympathy filled Daine's heart. She opened her mouth to ask the girl a question when her eyes caught sight of something. The breeches around the girl's left ankle had been soaked through with blood. "Your HURT!" she blurted out. Jonathan and Numair looked at the girl with wide eyes, searching her body for evidence of harm. Daine kneeled down in front of the girl and picked her foot up carefully. "What happened?"  
  
"Oh that? Don't worry. It will stop bleeding eventually. It always dose."  
  
"No reason letting it keep bleeding," retorted Daine.  
  
"Does it not hurt?" asked the king with furrowed brows.  
  
Daine was unlacing her boots to see the wound better. "I don't feel it anymore. I don't know if it's just because my ankles are numb or because it's just a familiar feeling now. I would rather think that it's just a familiar feeling; I don't like the idea of loosing feeling in my legs. When he first put them on, I couldn't walk for a month, it hurt so badly."  
  
"What in the Goddess' name are you talking about?" Jonathan questioned. He didn't have time to get an answer. He looked down at Daine's gasp. Daine had pushed the boot down slightly and then rolled up the girls breeches. Numair and Jonathan blanched noticeably at what they saw. Around the girl's ankle was a thick metal band. The edges curved so that it dug into her flesh. By the looks of it, it had been there for a while. Her skin seemed to have grown around the offending metal in attempts to adapt. The scaring around the band indicated that it had been attached quickly and forcefully. Jon didn't want to think about how much it had had to hurt when first attached. It had probably bled for days. It was currently oozing blood on the inside of her ankle. Onua had said she grabbed on to her foot. 'It probably caught wrong and ripped the skin again' he thought. Then he thought of something else. Had she said 'Ankles?' He reached for her other foot and pushed up her breeches. There around the other ankle was an identical metal band. This one however, seemed slightly less irritated and was not bleeding; but that was the only good thing about the sight. It made him want to throw up.  
  
"Who put those on you?" Numair asked.  
  
"I don't know his name. It's how he makes me do things I don't want to do. Regular magic doesn't work on me; not unless it touches my blood. And I can't get to far away from him or they get real tight." The small girl was close to tears again. Every so often she gave a small sniffle.  
  
"I'm confused," stated Daine. "You kept saying 'us'. We didn't do this to you.  
  
"I meant 'you' as in all of you. Your kind." Her lip started to tremble as she prepared herself for saying something else. "He promised if I did the things he asked he would take these bands off. He said I could go back home and be me again. He said I wouldn't have to look like this anymore." She gestured at herself.  
  
Daine and Jonathan were desperately trying to put the pieces together. What did she mean by their kind? And look like what? A girl? She WAS a girl. And why would anyone imprison a child? It didn't make sense.  
  
"What do you mean by our 'kind'?" asked the king.  
  
Numair was looking at the young girl intensely. It couldn't possibly be what he was thinking, could it? He hadn't connected all the dots yet, so he could form a complete picture. But what he was thinking was completely baffling him. If he guessed correctly, the petty little thefts this girl had been committing were the very tip of the iceberg. It would mean that this situation went far deeper than they had imagined. He didn't know how or why, but suddenly he was depressingly sure of what she had meant.  
  
"Human." He said quietly.  
  
"What?" Daine's nose scrunched up in confusion.  
  
"She means humans. He turned her into a human." He knelt in front of her and took a gloved hand. He pulled gently but firmly. When it fell away to reveal her slender hand, he closed his eyes; he had been right.  
  
Silver nails.  
  
To be continued  
  
Duhn duhn DUHHHHHNNN!  
  
Hope you like it. Let me know what you think. Thanks, Karigan 


	10. Becoming Human

Oh dear Lord, I have soooo much work to do! However, I received all these desperate reviews begging me to continue. Therefore, I am putting my work on hold for a few hours and am going to finish this chapter for you.  
  
Hoppuschick182: Just to PROVE I am far more evil then you I am going to KILL Daine! Hahahaahahha  
  
Complications  
  
Chapter 10  
  
'Becoming Human'  
  
By: Karigan  
  
Daine simply stared at the girl's hand. A few moments ago, she had thought the girl carried similar looking bands around her hands as were on her ankles. That would have explained the gloves; having to hide such horrible gut wrenching objects would be a good reason to carry gloves at all times. Oh, how wrong she was. The girl's hand was oddly perfect. She could not see one tiny flaw or discoloration in the smoothness of her palm and fingers. What really caught Daine's attention were the silver nails the girl had. 'Silver nails?' she asked herself. 'That would mean - but how is that-.' She tried desperately to grab onto one logical string of thought. Her mouth dropped open in shock.  
  
Numair let the girl go and raised himself up from his kneeling position in front of the red head. A large sigh escaped him and he looked to Daine for a moment. Noticing his wife's astonishment, he said, "It makes sense for the most part. Although, I still have some unanswered questions."  
  
Jonathan came out of his own staring trance and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "There is no possible way that there can be anything positive in this situation is there?"  
  
Numair rubbed his hands over his face as he leaned against the wall. He shook his head 'no' and groaned in frustration.  
  
The red head looked at them curiously. "What is the matter?"  
  
Numair took his hands from his face and stared at the girl in astonishment. "Matter? You are an IMMORTAL! That is what the matter is. How can you possibly think we wouldn't be shocked by this?"  
  
The girl looked confused. "But. I thought you knew I was an immortal. Did you not?"  
  
"NO!" cried Numair. "How were we supposed to know that?"  
  
The girl nearly burst out laughing. "You thought a HUMAN girl could do all the things I have done?" She was bubbling with laughter until she saw the very unamused faces surrounding her. She sobered quickly. "You REALLY thought that? How odd."  
  
Daine decided she had been confused long enough. "All right. Let us just get the basics out first. Because I think, we are missing a few steps. First, what is your name?"  
  
The girl looked thoughtful for a moment. "I do not think you could pronounce my name."  
  
"Could you give us an approximation of the sound, or perhaps a translation of its meaning?" Jon asked.  
  
"Well," the girl said, scratching her head. "I suppose the closest translation would be 'Justice'."  
  
Daine blinked. "That is actually a very pretty name."  
  
Justice smiled at Daine.  
  
"So we have a name for you now. Good. Could you tell us the events that brought you here to Tortall, Justice?"  
  
Justice's eyes shadowed noticeably. "The man who brought me is a human mage. That much I know. He is not very powerful, not with human magic. However, he has magic from the old ones. The old ones made these bands around my ankles. It has there magic in them. That is how he captured me. The 'gift' does not work on me unless it touches my blood."  
  
"Wait. He knows how to use the magic of the old ones?" Jon questioned in horror. The implications of that would be horrific. The things this man could do if he knew old magic were limitless.  
  
"No." The relief from the three listeners was audible. "He got a hold of these bands some how. He put this left one on first when I was not looking. That is why it is always so irritated. I fought it as hard as I could, but he had caught me by surprise. Once the metal had pierced my skin, he sent his magic through the band into my blood. That is how he accomplished control over me. The second one is a reassurance I suppose." She looked at the bleeding ankle and scrunched up her face in distaste. "In case I loose the foot I guess."  
  
Daine winced. "How long ago was that?"  
  
Justice sighed sadly. "I think 2 years ago. I'm not too familiar with human terms of time."  
  
Daine felt awful for the girl. She had to have been barely six when taken, unless they grew at a slower rate than humans like Kitten did. But, it didn't matter. She was obviously the equivalent of an 8 year old right now. 'I wonder how her parents took her disappearance.' Rikash had said Immortals could not reproduce easily. 'Her parents must be heartbroken.'  
  
A sudden pang of familiar pain slammed into her chest. She knew what it was like to loose a child, two children actually. Although she had never met her own children, she could not imagine being able to survive loosing a child you have had for years already. 'I wouldn't have been able to let go.' She thought sadly. Daine felt her cheeks flush with anger. If she ever had a chance alone with this man, she did not think she would be held responsible for any actions. "Then he brought you here, to Tortall?" Justice nodded. "You said he dragged you across the desert. You come from Carthak?"  
  
"South. Far south of the desert. In the forest past the great desert." Justice answered with longing in her voice.  
  
Numair had heard descriptions of the forest past the desert lands of Carthak. The stories and writings described forest far richer and greener then the best forest in the Northern Lands. The forests were so dense and full of life that it could support huge amounts of carnivorous creatures. According to the best scholars and professors, the farther you look up the food chain, the fewer amount of those animals there are, because it takes larger amounts of a one level to feed the next up. One of the ways to judge if a forest is thriving is to see if there are large amounts of carnivores. If there is a good amount, then you could reasonably say the forest was thriving in the most basics of plant life.  
  
He had heard stories of cats bigger then lions and tigers, stories of more different colored birds then there are stars. The trees were so healthy, their branches and turned into vines that spanned for miles. In certain parts of the forest, it was always pitch dark; the canopy of the trees so dense, light could not penetrate it. He had even read of the largest waterfall ever known resided in the depths of this 'jungle'. A waterfall said to be a mile high. "I have heard of it. It is said to be very beautiful."  
  
"It is." Justice said with certainty. "We have always lived there. Are magic is what keeps it safe from the disasters that plague other forest, like fires, floods, and earthquakes. Centuries without disaster have made it what it is today."  
  
Jonathan looked confused. "But, the immortals were kept in the Realm of the Gods for centuries up until a decade ago."  
  
Justice looked at the king; and with a steady gaze said, "We have 'always' been there. Humans just never knew it until recently."  
  
"Hmmmm." Numair was deep in thought, most likely pondering his next question.  
  
Daine, however, had a question ready to fire. "Why did this man want you?"  
  
"He did not want 'me' specifically. Just one of my kind. He caught me. It is because I am still young. If my papa had been there, he would have raked the man's eyes out for laying a hand on me. He wanted us for what we can do, because of what we are."  
  
Jonathan tilted his head. 'Funny' he thought. 'We don't even know what kind of immortal she is.' "What are you Justice?"  
  
Justice looked at the king as if the answer was obvious. Then a small smile played across her lips. Her pale skin suddenly brightened with color and her pale blue eyes suddenly flared red with life. Not from anger or pain as before, but of what Jonathan suspected was pure excitement. As if the simple mention of what she was could bring out her feverish vitality.  
  
"I am one of the 'Light'. I am of the kind that burns the sky with our Wings. I am one of the seers and the prophets of the immortal species." He voice had gone melodic again, the words almost flowing together with richness. Her eyes, which had flared before into a red, suddenly blazed brightly.  
  
"I am a Firebird."  
  
To be continued///  
  
A/N: Ha! What do you think? I know it has a bit shorted then my other chapters, but I cannot put it together with another chapter or it would be ridiculously long. The Firebird legend is by far my favorite of all myths. That is why I choose to use it. In my next chapter, you will learn all about the legend. I will try to start the next chapter soon. However, no promises. I have given up an entire evening to this chapter-an evening I will be paying for tonight. Lol. Ok. See ya!  
  
Karigan 


	11. Legend of the Firebirds

We receive the occasional miracle that professors bestow upon us well indeed. My 'Gender and Social Ethics in Islam' professor has granted us a grace period for our term paper. 'Why is this of any importance to ME?' you ask. SIMPLE! It means I get to write my next chapter-which you all are bouncing up and down on your seats to read, right? *nods head* Right. Anyway, in the last chapter, we learned that 'Justice', the famous little thief was not only an immortal, but also a firebird. 'But Karigan, what IS a firebird?' ask all my wonderful and brilliant fans. *hehe* Well, I got the idea from my favorite myth/legend. However, in order to suet my story better, I have altered the facts a smidgen. All of you who have seen 'Fantasia 2000', completely and utterly erase that horrible telling of the story from your minds! The tail of the firebird IS about life, death and renewal, BUT.the firebird is NOT, and I repeat, is NOT a bad character. The firebird is a very kind and generous character. Glad we got that straitened out. Now, (in loud and booming voice) ON WITH THE SHOW!  
  
Karigan ; ^ )  
  
Complications  
  
By: Karigan  
  
Chapter 11  
  
'Legend of the Firebirds'  
  
///////////////////////////////  
  
"She's a what?" asked Alanna with furrowed brows.  
  
"A Firebird," stated Numair again.  
  
Onua scrunched her nose. "What's a firebird? I've certainly never heard of them.  
  
Numair leaned back in his chair, took a deep breath and gazed around the room. Jonathan, Alanna, Onua, Daine, George and Kitten sat around the table in one of the meeting rooms. "I'm sure you haven't, Onua. In fact, I am certain that only a handful of people even recognize the word. In all the readings I ever encountered during my years as a student and mage, I have only come across the name two or three times. They are hardly mentioned along side other immortals, and never mentioned anywhere near any human activity. In fact, it is only coincidence that I, in my drive to read every book in Carthak, ran across some facts about them years ago."  
  
"So enlighten us," sighed George.  
  
"Well, like Justice said, they live far to the south; past the Carthiki desert, which would explain why nobody ever sees them. They live in families of ten or fifteen, and live within the dense canopy of the great forests. They have their own kind of magic, some kind of earth magic, I suspect. From what Justice said, their magic keeps the forest down there healthy. They bring life to it. Divert disasters. Everyone assumed them locked up in the Realm of the Gods along with the rest of the immortals, but according to Justice, that is incorrect. Centuries ago, they were thought to be so agile and tricky, that to catch one was considered an ultimate show of brilliance."  
  
"So what you are saying," interrupted the king, "is that this man, the mage who captured Justice, is extremely powerful and intelligent."  
  
Numair pursed is lips in consideration. "No," he finally answered. "I would say it shows him to be someone who tries to build great castles out of pebbles. He captured a child Firebird. I assume they are easier to capture. We caught her. True, it took six of us and in our own territory, but still, instead of going after an adult with true power to escape him, he went after Justice, whose powers are only beginning to grow."  
  
"So what kinds of powers can a child Firebird have that someone would want to use here, in Tortall?" said Daine after a few moments of silence.  
  
"I haven't been able to come up with an answer to that one, Magelet. When I asked her, she seemed to hesitate. Maybe their powers are secret. That would explain her reluctance to talk about it. There is some brief reference to the Firebirds favor of humans, something about bestowing a gift upon those clever enough to catch them. What kind of gift, I do not know. I cannot imagine what kind of gift would lead someone to drag the Firebird across such a vast distance. What really gets to me is how he got a hold of those bands. They still carry the power of the old ones. Those would fetch the price of the Tortallan treasury anywhere. He uses them to control her."  
  
Alanna jumped in. "Why did we leave her alone then? What if he gets to her, makes her leave the castle?"  
  
"Relax Lioness." Jon placed his hand on her arm calmingly. "He can only force her to do things with his magic through the bands. Numair placed a barrier around her room. He cannot get his magic into the room. This means, for the moment, she is safe. Nevertheless, we cannot keep her in there forever. Eventually we will have to bring her out. I am sure by now this man knows he cannot send for her. He is probably looking for her at this very moment."  
  
"So what now? Do we just keep her locked up until this man jumps out of the bushes?" Georges face was stern and upset.  
  
Jonathan sighed and leaned forward slightly. "Unfortunately, yes. We wait for a few days, maybe even a week or two, and hope he comes out into view looking for her. If he doesn't///" He grimaced slightly. "Well, we'll have to figure that out when the time comes."  
  
Silence filled the room for what seemed like endless minutes, all of them deep in thought. Suddenly Onua piped in, "So what does a Firebird look like anyway?"  
  
They all turned to look at Numair, mirroring the same question. Numair looked completely lost, staring back at them with equal curiosity. As if realizing they were waiting for an answer from him, he raised his arms in a shrug and said, "I don't know."  
  
Justice looked around the small room with sadness. 'Another prison' she thought with a sigh. Oh, it was nice, much nicer then the room 'he' had given her. But it was a prison none the less. Confined and under lock and key. She knew it was for her own protection, that this King and his subjects were only trying to help her. But it still felt like a cage, gilded, but still a cage. At least they seemed nice enough. She sighed again. She walked towards the bed and ran her perfect flawless fingers over the fluffy spread. 'It isn't like the silk leaves at home; but at least its not rough cotton.'  
  
Her eyes scanned along the dressers and vanity, and then up towards the mirror. She caught sight of herself and grimaced, looking away quickly. 'Gods, but am I ugly!' she thought with disgust. 'No feathers, no claws, no beak///just this hideous form. She looked up again and examined herself. 'Disgusting pale blue eyes, pale ivory skin that's completely smooth, no texture what so ever, and this pert little nose!' She fingered the smooth little nose that had a dusting of freckles. She would never get over not having a beak with a beautiful strong sharp hook, being a flat faced human. And the body, goodness but was it little. Her slender form dwarfed by the human clothing. No plumage or fluff. She looked like a wet bird. She had always thought humans were odd looking, but never ugly. Now, it was all she could do not to cringe at the sight of her own self. 'I used to be so pretty,' her eyes rimmed with tears.  
  
She wiped at them furiously. This! This most of all was frustrating. The logistics of being human was overwhelming. The water that came out of her eyes when she was angry or sad, the teeth, she's forgotten how many times she'd nearly bitten her tongue off the first few months of being human. The fact that you had to pee and take a dump from TWO different wholes! She lifted her arms up and out, so that she formed a 'T' with her body and arms. She then slowly but steadily pumped them in and out, keeping them strait, like she did when she used to fly. (A/N: Not up and down over your head. That is not how birds fly! They use there breast muscles.) These.what are they called again? ARMS! She STILL had trouble remembering they are not for flying. That embarrassing display in the kitchen today was a good example of how often she forgot she could fly no longer. She still had a bruise on her chin from where she had slammed up against the shelf. Well, at least she had red hair.  
  
She looked around the room at the walls. 'Pretty tapestries; but no windows.' She walked up to one of the tapestry-covered walls that had a thin sheer black layer of magic over it and casually placed her hand on it. She rubbed small circles, her eyes occasionally looking back at the door. Slowly, the wall seemed to warp out and back, until an opening, no more then three feet high and across formed and lead to the outside world.  
  
She climbed into the little window she had created for herself and curled up against the side. She may not be capable of all the splendorous magic her mama and papa could do, but she could certainly get through some simple 'gift' magic. She knew she was risking being caught again, but she didn't care. 'Being reckless got you caught in the first place, Justice,' a little voice in the back of her mind warned. She set her jaw stubbornly; she needed to be able to breath. If she stayed in that room, she would very well suffocate. Besides, she could tell when 'he' was using the bands around her ankles to use magic on her. The bands, horrible as they were, at least vibrated when he was using his magic on them. If need be, she could hop back inside and close her little window.  
  
She felt a pang of sadness that it was dark. She missed the sun terribly. He permitted her only two or three times since her capture to go out into the light, and she was feeling the stress of no brilliant fiery sun on her pale skin. Her mind wandered to other thoughts. She wanted to go HOME. She hated it here. She wanted her mama's warm hugs and beautiful love, and she wanted her papa's smiles and wonderful praises at her progress in magic during lessons. All she had had here were cold rooms, mean captors and no sun. She had felt the slightest tinge of hope fill her this afternoon when Daine had promised to do all she could to get her back to her ma. It soon deflated when her mind had wandered to the things she had done to Daine and other people.  
  
Tears burned her eyes once again and she buried her head in her knees, ordering her mind to think of something else; no luck. She hated hurting people. She hated stealing, hurting, lying, but most of all she hated killing. The first time she had killed someone on orders from 'him', she nearly vomited from disgust. 'He was SO paranoid!' Anytime he suspected anyone of knowing his stupid plan, WHAM, he threw her in the picture; and he made her do it differently every time, so no one would suspect a trend. He never listened to reason. She tried to tell him it wouldn't do any good; that he couldn't change anything; but would he listen? Nooo. He was determined, if nothing else. "Stupid, senseless man." She muttered.  
  
She felt the bands tingle her scarred flesh and she jerked her head up. He'd found her. Well, at least she had a few minutes before he could connect his magic to the bands. "What do you want?" she ground out.  
  
His voice filled her mind, "I've been looking for you, my dear. Why are you hiding from me?"  
  
Sarcasm dripped from her words. "I can't imagine."  
  
"Now, now, my dear. I know I won't be able to get you to come to me now. That cocky mage is much too powerful for me to get through his walls. Nevertheless, eventually they will have to let you out. And then, my dear,///we finish our business."  
  
"YOUR business!" she ground out. "It's always been your business, not mine."  
  
"I told you if you fixed the problem, I'd let you go. You haven't fixed the problem, my dear."  
  
"I CAN'T!" she stated angrily. She calmed, knowing it was useless to yell at him. "I told you long ago, and I'll tell you again. There is no changing destiny. Neither you, nor I, nor anyone else can change it. I gave you a gift, human. You should use it to help yourself, not to make your situation worse."  
  
"YOU GAVE ME NO GIFT!" He yelled into her mind. "You showed me my DOWNFALL! I refuse to accept that is my gift, my destiny."  
  
Justice's eyes flared an angry red. "I showed you NO such thing, human. I showed you only what is true. If you try to rise to power, you will be stopped. I gave you a warning hum///"  
  
He interrupted her lecture with a crazy laugh. "Warning? I think it was more of an instruction. You showed me how to prevent my downfall. So far, it seems to have worked."  
  
She felt the magic in her bands grow. "Have me steel as many things as you want, have me hurt all the people you want, have me destroy all you want, have me KILL all the innocent children you want! I tell you for the last time human. That child will come, and it WILL prevent you from rising to power. I do not choose your Destiny, I simply show it to you. I give you the final warning. Give up now, forget this pathetic quest and live out your life in peace."  
  
She felt the power in the bands grow to unbearable pressure. She fell into the room quickly and let the wall warp back into place along with the black magic. The pressure on her feet, now dripping blood again from his magic, faded. She sighed in relief. She had pushed her time a bit far this time. She sat against the wall, trembling from the effort it took to keep him away. She had the sinking feeling she had pushed the wrong buttons this time, pushing him over the edge. She wouldn't be surprised if the horse dung hit the windmill.  
  
She pulled the fluffy spread off the bed and tugged it the corner of the room. She took off her boots, gloves and belt and climbed into the pile. She wiggled around trying to get comfortable, forming the spread into some semblance of a nest. Finally satisfied, she curled into a little ball and drifted to sleep.  
  
A/N: Wow! That turned out better than I planned. COOL! Hope you like it.LET ME KNOW..I LUVVVVVVVV to get reviews..REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!  
  
THANKS, KARIGAN 


	12. Prove it

Ok. Wow. This is getting really involve. I'm trying to keep up with myself. Hehe. Well I don't have much to say this time. So, here we go///  
  
Karigan  
  
Complications  
  
Chapter 12  
  
'Prove it.'  
  
////////////////  
  
Daine and Alanna sat in one of the living quarters provided for guests of the king. Thayet strolled in a plopped on the seat next to Daine. "Horse Lords! If I have to deal with one more ambassador today, I'm going to loose it."  
  
Daine laughed. "Poor Thayet; always sacrificing herself for the good of the kingdom."  
  
Thayet looked around curiously. "Where is Justice? I thought my Lord had given her these rooms."  
  
Alanna snorted. "She went to the bathroom to 'wash' herself. We sent a few servants after her to make sure she takes a proper bath. I don't suppose you've had the honor of smelling her lately?" At Thayet's headshake, Alanna continued. "She's been here two weeks and I suspect she has yet to take a bath. I told the servants to make sure to wash her and wash well. That was a few minutes ago. It will take at least half an hour to get the grit and grim off her. I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't had a proper bath the entire time she's been human."  
  
They had broken into soft bouts of laughter when a glass shattering screech came tearing through the walls. They jumped to their feet and looked to the door wildly. Another ear-piercing screech rang through the door and they heard scuffling. Alanna reached for her sword as the door to the bathrooms swung open unceremoniously. Justice screeched across the floor faster than a rat on fire. She reached the other side of the room and pressed her naked completely wet form against the wall, soap from her wet and tangled hair had run down into her face and eyes and she was starting to turn an odd shade of bright red. Two of the servants toppled out of the room; there clothing soaked in parts and both breathing heavily.  
  
"What in the Great Mother Goddess's name is going ON?" Alanna roared.  
  
Justice raised her hand accusingly and pointed at the two women. "Those are demons of torture!" The words came hard and heavy from clenched teeth.  
  
"What?" Daine voiced.  
  
"We was only tryin' to giv'er a bath Lioness," said one of the servants.  
  
"We poured the soap water on'er and the lil' thing lost it," piped the other one.  
  
Daine, Alanna and Onua swiveled their heads in unison to look at Justice. She was shaking with rage. "They poured water all OVER me!" she shrieked, though not as loudly as before. "Look at me! I'm completely wet! And this substance they put in my hair, what is it? Are they trying to burn my eyes out with it, because that's what it feels like."  
  
Daine could hardly contain her mirth. "That's how we get clean, Justice. We bathe."  
  
"You mean you actually get completely WET?" The horror in Justice's voice could not be missed.  
  
"Yes Justice." Sighed Thayet patiently. "Humans have to use water and soup to get clean. You're not a bird anymore. For now, you are just going to have to get used to bathing."  
  
Justice's eyes opened wide in surprise. She shook her head violently indicating refusal. When the five women turned stern faces on her, she grew angry. "ME? Get completely WET? I am a FIREBIRD! We clean ourselves. We need no water." She stomped across the room, snatched a towel from one of the servants and stomped towards her bedroom.  
  
Alanna called out, trying not to laugh. "Either you bathe on a regular basis, Justice, or you are going to smell like a wet rat." All five women snickered at the comment.  
  
Justice's form reappeared in the doorway of her rooms with a towel wrapped around her body. Her face had turned a dangerous shade of red and her eyes blazed with rage. She filled her lungs with air. Daine knew what was coming and braced herself for the oncoming screech. "THEN I SHALL SMELL LIKE A WET RAT'S ASS!"  
  
She slammed her door and the five women collapsed into fits of hysterical laughter.  
  
//////////////////////////////////  
  
Numair tapped lightly on the door. When he heard a soft 'come in', he opened it slowly and peeked his head in. Justice sat on the bed, legs crossed under her. "I heard about your ordeal this afternoon," he commented. "Feeling a bit calmer?"  
  
Justice merely grunted softly and grimaced. "I have a little temper," she admitted.  
  
Numair let out deep laughter that filled the room. "Justice, from what I heard, you could have shattered glass."  
  
She made a face at him and sighed. "Did you want something Master Numair?"  
  
He smiled. "Yes actually, I wanted to talk with you. But please, just call me Numair." At her nod he continued. "We have not had an opportunity to talk much since you have been here, besides that first day. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions, as a scholar seeking knowledge." She looked a bit uncomfortable with the idea for a moment. "If you don't want to talk about it that is all right. I will not force you too."  
  
"No," she said softy. "I don't mind. I just do not think you will like some of the answers."  
  
He thought about that for a moment. Did he want the answers he was asking for? Yes. His scholarly mind refused to let up on the situation. "I was wondering about some passages I read years ago in Carthak. It spoke of the Firebird's 'Gift'. Do you suppose you could enlighten me on that issue?"  
  
"Well," she said while shifting slightly. "The Firebirds are seers and prophets, but not like what you would normally think. We can 'see' Destiny. Centuries ago, my ancestors took a liking to humans. They liked their character and stamina. They would try to catch a Firebird for sport. If they caught one of us, he was seen through out his whole community has clever, smart, witty, what have you. But they would never hurt us. They always let us go. It soon became sport to the Firebirds as well. One day, a human caught a Firebird. He was very nice to her, praised her cunningness, and gave her praises for being the best chase of his life. She liked the human so much that she decided to give him a gift. We know how much humans crave assurance and a sense of future. So, she gave him one single 'sight', a glimpse into his Destiny. He loved the gift so much he told all the humans about it. The Firebirds did not mind giving a single gift of 'sight' to the most cunning of humans; so soon, it became legend. If you catch a Firebird, you are granted either one golden feather, or one 'sight'." She smiled. "Some humans, did not like the idea of knowing the future, that is why they made an option."  
  
Numair was speechless. He had learned more about this rare creature than had been known in centuries of knowledge. He cleared his throat, trying to make it work for the next question. "So, this man, the one who captured you, what did he choose?"  
  
She grimaced. "A 'sight'"  
  
He didn't need to guess where this was going. "He didn't like it."  
  
She snorted. "That's putting it lightly."  
  
"What did you show him?"  
  
She looked at him strangely, shaking her head. "The 'sight' is only for the person it is given to. I cannot tell you what I showed him. We are forbidden. I can tell you that he liked it so much that he wants to change it. I tried to tell him he cannot, but he refuses to listen."  
  
Numair leaned back against a wall and sighed. "Destiny can be changed," he argued. "If you know your own Destiny, then you can take the steps to avoid it from happening, if you want."  
  
She shook her head vehemently. "No."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She sighed. How many times was she going to have to explain this to humans? "Because it just is. It is Destiny. Unchangeable. Set in stone." She couldn't read much of the expression on his face. From what she could read, she could tell he wasn't convinced. "You don't believe in Destiny," she stated, matter of fact.  
  
He looked at her. "No"  
  
"Why?" She asked. He grinned at her turn in conversation.  
  
"I don't like the idea of not having control of my life, having it be a complete matter of chance; something I just have to wait for." He looked at her expectantly.  
  
She sighed and looked down. Philosophy was not something she was familiar with yet. Her lessons hadn't gone nearly that far. She didn't know how to answer him.  
  
Seeing the argument sway to his side, Numair added, "I suppose it would require some kind of proof, in order for me to believe it."  
  
"Proof?" she asked amazedly.  
  
"Yes, proof. Like the proof that there are Gods, or that there is the 'gift' in humans. I need physical evidence that it exist."  
  
"Hmm," she looked thoughtful for a moment and then met his eyes. "Do you love Daine?"  
  
"What?" That question had caught him completely off guard.  
  
"Do you love Daine?" she asked again.  
  
"Yes. I love her more than anything else in this world." He said it with absolute certainty.  
  
She looked down quickly in contemplation and then looked back up at him. "Prove it."  
  
He opened his mouth to answer her, but his mind came to a blank. His love for Daine went so far in him; he did not know where it ended or even began. He could say he had feelings that proved it, or perhaps the way he treated her, with respect and love was proof enough. But somehow, that wasn't the answer she was looking for, and neither was he. He looked at her blankly and then snapped his mouth shut. He did not have an answer to that question.  
  
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Wow, this is getting all deep and junk! Hehe. Well, the second part of this chapter anyways. I just wanted to stick that first part in for some fun. Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter, coming soon.  
  
REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW  
  
Karigan 


	13. Deafening Silence

Ok, so here is were the story begins to come together. And for all you fans who have been asking, where is all the Daine/Numair stuff, BE PATIENT. Hehe. Anyway, Justice has been hiding a secret. What could it be. Read and find out!  
  
Karigan  
  
Complications  
  
By: Karigan  
  
Chapter 12  
  
'Deafening Silence'  
  
Daine lay in her bed early into the evening. She was just too tired to stand anymore today. She cuddled into the blankets and curled up on her side. 'Boy is it cold.' She leaned up, closed the rafters to the window, and rolled over again, facing away from them. 'I hope Numair gets here soon, he's always nice and warm.' That thought alone warmed her up a bit. She sighed; she was too tired to play games tonight. This week had been positively miserable. She just could not seem to get enough sleep.  
  
She stared into the dark room and tried to stop shivering from the cold. It seemed to be seeping into her entire body. She could feel it from the tips of her toes, to the back of her neck. She heard a creek behind her and she shifted to see what furry creature had decided to join her tonight.  
  
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"It has been three weeks Jon! We cannot possibly keep that child caged up any longer!"  
  
"Then what do you suggest Numair? I have had all my spies and guards looking for this man, including George. He has not stirred in the last two weeks. He is waiting for US to make the move. The moment we let her out is the moment that he can control her again. You said it yourself; there is not a mage in the Northern Lands that can take off those bands. Not without knowing who the controller is first."  
  
Numair scrubbed at his face as he sat in one of the conference rooms with Jonathan. He was tired. The last week had not been pleasant. He has spent the majority of it trying to come up with a spell to take those Gods cursed bands off Justice. It never went well. Either each session ended with his magic backfiring on him or with Justice's ankles bleeding profusely for hours. He spent countless hours talking with the girl; writing down as much information about her species as the girl could spit out. He tried to have patience with her; after all, she was only an eight- year-old girl. There was no way she could possibly be able to answer every question he asked her. But sometimes her information overlapped, or did not make sense at all, and it was extremely frustrating for both of them. They kept at it though. There was no knowing how valuable the information could be later on.  
  
No, things were not going well at all. Because on top of all the stress involved with keeping the hot-tempered redheaded firebird/girl safe, he was starting to worry about Daine. Last week, Daine had started to look pale and sick. She never got sick physically, but she always seemed tired and worn. She was steadily growing more and more pale with each passing day. They had gone to a healer, but all the healer told them was that Daine should be resting. If Daine was pregnant, it was too soon to tell.  
  
That thought had scared him more than he would have imagined. If Daine were pregnant again, she would be at risk. He was NOT ready for another scare, especially when it concerned her life. Her life. Gods! Simply saying it created a knot in the bottom of his stomach that was piercingly painful. The second pregnancy had nearly claimed her life, what if this pregnancy was the final blow to her system. He shook himself. 'Stop thinking like that you idiot. You don't even know if she is pregnant.'  
  
Jonathan eyed the obviously distracted mage. "Numair, I want you to go and get some rest. You have been working on this for the last few weeks without rest."  
  
"No, it is all right Jon. I am just trying focus on to many things at once."  
  
Jonathan grinned. He was going to have to pull rank on his determined friend. "Numair, I am not I asking you. You are no use to me worn out. Go and get some rest." Numair's glare was enough to make the King know he had won. The tall mage stretched and stood to his full towering length and gave his King a sarcastic bow. When he left through the doors, Jonathan chuckled in amusement.  
  
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Numair walked down the hall towards his rooms. He 'was' tired. A nap did not seem like a terribly bad idea. He walked by the entrance to Justice's rooms and stopped abruptly. He had not seen the young spitfire since early this morning. The session had ended with a servant wrapping the girls left ankle to stop the bleeding that had ensued due to his attempts at removing the bands. He should probably check on her.  
  
He stepped through the wooden door and his magic. That was another drainer; keeping that shield up for three strait weeks was not helping his situation. He stopped short when he saw Justice sitting in an oddly shaped window in the wall. That window had NOT been a part of the design of the room. It took a moment for him to register the shock. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on when Justice opened her mouth and in a rather angered and shaking voice, said, "Leave the Wild mage ALONE! She has done nothing to you; just leave her be for once."  
  
Numair's stomach took a hard turn at the young girls tone. He did not know who or what she was talking to and about, but all of his instincts stood up on end. "Justice," his voice was tight and low.  
  
Justice's head snapped back from the outside world. Her eyes grew large and she toppled into the room unceremoniously. Numair's attention drifted to the makeshift window warping back into place as a solid wall. After his shock, he turned his face down to the red heads pale blue eyes. What he saw in those eyes scared him beyond words. Guilt.  
  
His instincts screamed furiously at him. Something was very wrong. Every nerve in his body was ordering him to find Daine immediately. He was not going to ignore these warnings slamming through his soul. He turned on his legs and slammed out of the door. He ran down the passageway frantically, heading towards his rooms. He entered the main door to their rooms violently, screaming her name. "Daine?" He looked around nervously, voice shaking in fear. "Magelet?" He ran into the bedroom, fear growing exponentially by the second. "Daine?" he called out again. He looked towards there recently slept in bed and his throat caught in horror. Blood stained the pillow and sheets. It stained the floor in drop like puddles, leading to the window. He ran up to the opened shutters and looked outside. Nothing.  
  
He slammed back into Justice's chambers ready to rip the place apart looking for the redhead. But she had not moved. She sat on the floor, leaning up against the wall that had recently held a window. Her little body was shaking violently from withheld sobs. Numair's eyes were frantic and scared as he waited the torturous seconds for the girl to raise her head. When they came up, he felt his stomach drop.  
  
With a small and fragile voice, completely unlike the normal melodic symphony her voice had, she whispered. "I'm sorry."  
  
The roaring in his ears was so loud, he was sure the Emperor of Carthak could hear. He shut his eyes tight and tried to shut out the offal sounds. He needed silence. He needed silenced desperately right now. Because that roaring was just too much. Then, everything went deathly silent.  
  
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A/N: YEAH!!! It's turning out just the way I want it to. I'm soooo happy *jumps around oddly* *blush* anyway, I'm going to try and start the next chapter soon, but I have to write a paper and prepare a presentation. So my next chapter may not come until Friday. But never fear, I'm gonna finish. BUT ONLY IF YOU REVIEW!!!!!  
  
THANKS, KARIGAN 


	14. The Gift

I couldn't help myself! I just couldn't! My goodness, but did you guys get upset or WHAT about my last chapter? Hehe. I was trying to be cruel! *evil cackle* If you are wondering what happened to Daine, well, um, don't look at me. I ain't tellin' ya the answer. Ya gotta READ. Hehehehehehehehehehehe  
  
Complications  
  
By: Karigan  
  
Chapter 14  
  
'The Gift'  
  
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He didn't know how long it had been. The silence that had overtaken him had completely taken control of his system. When he finally opened his eyes again, Justice still sat on the floor in front of him, her knees curled up tightly against her chest. She was shaking violently and he could see her eyes were a deathly grey and her skin had become stark white.  
  
His mind was going so fast, he had trouble keeping up with it. Daine was gone. That thought was the one thought that, even with all the other thoughts slamming through him, was undeniably the loudest.  
  
Then, suddenly, thoughts started to fall into place. Justice had lied to him. She had lied to all of them. He recalled her saying that she had hurt Daine before. He didn't know when that was, but now she had taken Daine away from him. The pain was steadily growing larger. He had seen the blood; the blood that was all over the pillow, sheets and floor. There was just too much of it. It had looked as if they had slaughtered a pig. His scientific mind didn't let him hold out hope. It was just too much blood. He swallowed hard. And focused again on the form curled up on the floor.  
  
He felt a pang of anger enter his system, and to his surprise, made the pain disappear momentarily. He relished in that short relief, and felt it grow. It grew within him until he was a boiling pot of water. He lunged forward and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, lifting her up to her feet violently. She cried out and grabbed his arms for support. He shook her hard. "YOU LIED TO ME!" he hollered. She shook her head weakly. "YOU LET HIM IN HERE DIDN'T YOU? YOU LET HIM IN HERE SO HE COULD GET TO HER.! WHY?" his voice had risen dramatically and was now slamming itself on the girl's little face.  
  
Justice was shaking so bad she could hear her teeth chattering in her scull. This wasn't supposed to work out this way. "No!" she tried weakly.  
  
"YOU OPENED UP THE WINDOW AND YOU LET HIM IN HERE! YOU TOLD HIM WHERE SHE WAS! WHY DOES HE WANT HER?"  
  
"No!" she tried again more forcefully. She didn't know what to do or say. She couldn't even answer him without betraying her species, and that was just not an option. "I'm sorry! I didn't want her to get hurt. I didn't///"  
  
"NO!" he yelled. "STOP LYING AND TELL ME!" Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered why she wasn't fighting back. Why she hadn't lost her temper yet.  
  
Justice bit her bottom lip so hard it started to bleed. Tears streamed down her face and she was shaking with sobs. Her words became broken and erratic as she began to sob silently. "I. can't. please. I. didn't. want. This. PLEASE!"  
  
Numair was to far gone at this point. Anger had taken over the pain and he welcomed it. He grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room, completely ignoring the fact that they had stepped out of the magic holding. At this point, he didn't really care anymore. He dragged her roughly behind him down the hall. He vaguely registered her uncontrolled sobs. Oddly, no one roamed the halls now to see them. 'Good', he thought. He wasn't stopping for anyone now. He opened his room doors and pulled her in by the wrist. She let out a little whimper of protest, but he ignored it. He proceeded to drag her into his bedroom and turned back to her, hand still gripping her tiny wrist.  
  
"Do you see this?" he spoke, dangerously calm. He looked at her eyes. Justice didn't want to look at what she knew was there. "LOOK AT IT!" He roared again. She whimpered and turned her head to look. Blood streaked down the pillow and sheets. Drops of blood had fallen to the floor all the way to the window. She had the reaction she feared she would. Nothing. It was a reaction her body had developed after having to kill so many people. She felt nothing at the sight of so much blood. She closed her eyes tight and sobbed heavily.  
  
"YOU DID THIS TO HER!" He accused.  
  
Her eyes shot open and she yelled. "NO!"  
  
He shook her so violently she fell to her knees. Both his hands were now gripping her wrist like vices. "YOU LET HIM IN HERE! SOMEHOW, YOU LEAD HIM HERE AND DIDN'T TELL US! NOW TELL ME! WHY DID HE WANT HER?"  
  
His hands were beginning to crush he wrist. Her eyes blazed red and in an agonized sob, she screeched. "YOU'RE HURTING ME!"  
  
In all her tantrums and fits of temper, she had only sounded like that twice before. Her shriek became almost hawk like. Somehow, it cleared his mind for a moment and he realized what he was doing. This was an eight- year-old child. Despite all she had done, all the lies that he was sure she had told, she was still a child. He released her hands quickly and she fell to floor with a sob. He stepped back in horror looking at his hands. He was disgusted with himself. He had been hurting her in his rage. Daine would have been horrified at his actions. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, trying to catch his heaving breath.  
  
Justice desperately tried to control her sobbing. She didn't know why she was so surprised by Numair's actions; she knew that he loved Daine. She didn't fight him because she knew she deserved it. She had been the cause of him loosing Daine. She wasn't fooling herself on that one. She had gotten herself caught by being reckless two years ago, starting this whole mess.  
  
She hated 'him'. She couldn't find a better word than that. This man caused so much pain and suffering for so many, just to find a simple child; a child that there was close to no chance in hell of finding. There were simply too many options. "I didn't want this Numair. Believe what you want, but I didn't want this." She was trying to hold back her tears. She really did like Numair. He was the human she liked the most. And to see him in this much pain made her immortal heart want to die.  
  
He looked up at her and she was shocked to see tears rimming his eyes. "Then why will you not tell me what is going on?" he asked desperately. He waved his hand over the bed. "This blood, it's too much for a human body to loose. I know that. I've lost Daine. I just want to find her, and avenge her. But I can't if you won't help me."  
  
Her lip trembled slightly and she took a shuttering breath. "How can I tell you anything resembling the truth if you cannot even believe what I tell you?"  
  
He looked confused. "I have listened to all you have said this last week. I believed all of it, eve///" he stopped when she shook her head.  
  
"No. You didn't. You don't believe in Destiny. You won't believe anything I say or do if you don't believe in that simple rule."  
  
"I'm supposed to believe that no matter what, no matter what anyone says or does, I will always die in the same way? That my life is already set out for me? That you know everything that is in my future?"  
  
She shook her head again. "No. I never said that. I don't know anything about your Destiny. I don't know anyone's Destiny unless I show it to him or her. Moreover, who ever said Destiny has to be all-consuming? Why is it you automatically assume that Destiny means an ending? It doesn't. All Destiny really is is a fact about you. Destiny might only be one small part of your life. A tiny insignificant detail that is important in the long run; the long run of time." She thought about her next words carefully. "Or in 'his' case something that will never happen, despite what anyone does."  
  
Numair was trying to focus on her words. They didn't make sense, at least not to him. It just wasn't working for him. "I cant. I need."  
  
"Proof?" she finished for him. She sighed softly. That stupid hurdle Numair was incapable of crossing was a big problem. She wiped at her face, trying to come up with some kind of answer. Then she grabbed on to a possibility. She looked at Numair as if she was appraising him. This was possibly a bad idea. But, it seemed to be the only idea for the moment. They were not going to get anywhere if he couldn't get over this whole Destiny issue. "I want to give you a gift, Numair."  
  
He looked up at her in puzzlement. "What?"  
  
"I want to give you a gift."  
  
He looked startled for a moment. Then he rubbed his nose. "Justice, I have not 'caught' you, you can't give me//"  
  
"I can." She stated firmly. "You DID catch me. Three weeks ago."  
  
He scrunched his eyes. "Justice there were six of us that day, I'm not the only one who caught you."  
  
"Well, I'm giving 'you' the gift. Consider yourself lucky, Numair. Now, you have a choice. Do you want a single 'sight' or do you want a 'feather'? I think it's a bit obvious I don't have a feather to give you. So I suggest you pick a 'sight'."  
  
He looked thoughtful. "What are you going to show me?"  
  
She sighed heavily. "I don't KNOW! I don't know anymore then you do. All I'm going to do is show you your Destiny. I don't know what it is. I don't know if will even tell you anything. That is not the point. The point here is to prove to you that it does exist. And when you finally believe me, we can avenge Daine."  
  
That was all the encouragement he needed. If it would help him avenge his Magelet, he would do anything. He nodded.  
  
Justice climbed onto a seat and stood on it so she would be eye level with the tall man. She stared at his eyes and took a deep breath. "I need you to relax. Just breathe. I may have to touch you; I've never done it in human form. It might feel a bit funny. And it will probably surprise you when it happens, but you have to relax and just let hit happen. All right?"  
  
He nodded and breathed deeply, keeping his dark eyes locked on Justice's pale blue ones. She swallowed hard and he saw her hand slowly rise up to the side of his face. It was centimeters away from his cheek when he felt as if he were in the middle of an explosion.  
  
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To be continued  
  
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Do I have you at the edge of your seat or WHAT? This is getting so great. I'm soooo proud of myself, *jumps around clapping hand wildly*  
  
REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! OR I WON'T WRITE ANOTHER WORD! HEHEHEHEHE  
  
*CRAZY LAUGH* 


	15. The Color Green

I felt bad for leaving ya all hangin like that. I would have lost it if I'd been left like that, so, I have decided to post the next chapter. I was going to wait to post it, give you guys a case of anxiety, but I couldn't be that cruel. Anyway, enjoy.  
  
Thanks to hoppuschick182, white-wolf, and lady Arabian knight. You guys give the BEST reviews. I like the funny ones. *smile*  
  
Karigan  
  
Complications Chapter 14  
  
By: Karigan  
  
'The Color Green'  
  
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(A/N: For this part of the story, I have this vision in my head of how it is. The flashes that Numair gets are supposed to be real fast and intense. If you have ever seen Armageddon, imagine the flashes at the end where Bruce Willis dies. Where it is as if there is an explosion of light between each picture and it goes so fast you hardly have time to see it. I also imagine the intense symphonic music in the background that emphasizes the flashes changing and progressing. This is where I got this whole idea, so enjoy)  
  
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He nodded and breathed deeply, keeping his dark eyes locked on Justice's pale blue ones. She swallowed hard and he saw her hand slowly rise up to the side of his face. It was centimeters away from his cheek when he felt as if he were in the middle of an explosion.  
  
A white light flashed before his eyes, and he felt the air around him explode violently into nothingness. All his senses seemed to heighten and disappear at the same time. He was sure the bright light was burning holes into his retina when all of the sudden, he was hit with slight darkness and a million smells. He smelled forest, rivers, mountains, grass, trees, animals, he smelled all the aromas of nature, but above all, he smelled the gentle sweetness of vanilla. An image formed of a face; a face that was looking down. He noted dark brown curly hair and a stubborn jaw line. His first thought was 'Daine', but then the figure looked up to reveal a girl no more than four or five. His vision narrowed and focused until all he could see was the child's eyes, which were hooded from looking down. Then the child seemed to look up at him, and his heart almost stopped at the sight. Her lids came up to reveal big beautifully brilliant green eyes. They were deep green, almost the color of Jade, but at the same time, the darkness of her eyelashes and pupils were a stark contrast to the pure green of her irises. Those eyes seemed to be able to reach into his soul and bring out every emotion he held dear to him.  
  
Then, as suddenly as he had seen her, she was gone. He was slammed once again by brilliant white light. He saw endless pictures of this girl flash before him, all going to fast for him to be able to register. Again, his vision cleared. But his time, his vision turned from the dark passageway of a corridor, to a door, leading to an outside courtyard. As more of the courtyard came into view, he saw various unknown children around the age of six or seven playing a game of tag. Their laughs echoed through his mind, hers in particular. Screeches of her happy laughter filled his heart. His eyes immediately fell upon a girl turned away from him wearing breeches and a tunic. Long dark curly hair swung in the air as she turned to face him. Again, he was caught by the green in her eyes. But this time, he could see her entire face. She had dark beautifully arched eyebrows that matched her hair and eyelashes. Her nose was small and pert and had a dusting of freckles, stereotyping her as mischievous. She has a stubborn chin and a small pink mouth set on tanned skin. He couldn't help but notice how much she had grown. She would be taller then her mother, of that he was sure. She seemed to see him and her entire face lit into a beautiful smile. He felt something deep within him stir again. A love so deep he had only felt it once before. It was a different kind of love than he was used to, but every bit as deep. And he vaguely made out the simple smell of vanilla.  
  
He wanted to call to her when he felt the slam again. Once again, endless streams of visions of the child filled his mind. He felt as if he had to blink repeatedly to clear his eyes and then look again. There she was again, looking around the same age in the last vision. Except this time, she was sitting with an older woman. Daine, a slightly older but still just as beautiful Daine. They seemed to be working on her studies. Daine explaining a math problem to the young girl. The girl looked up to see him and smiled beautifully at him again. A smile that seemed so familiar to him. Her smile seemed almost euphoric in the dim candlelight of the evening. Vanilla filling his senses once again. Daine, noticing the child's attention waver, casually put her hand on the young girl's head and gently turned her face back down to the work. The young girl sighed and continued. Daine looked up at him with slight annoyance and then gave way to one of her beautiful smiles.  
  
He didn't feel the surprise as much as he had before when he felt the next slam on his body and senses. This time, however, screaming and crying bombarded his hearing. He was in the palace, fighting desperately against an unknown force. He looked to his side and saw the Lioness fighting with him. She had her sword out and was in the mist of a deadly dual. He was blasting at an oncoming enemy when he heard the word 'Papa' screeched behind him. He looked to see the now 9-year-old child standing against one of the hallways doors with tears streaked down her innocent face. He lifted his hand and pointed down the hall in the opposite direction of the fighting. 'Run!' he heard himself holler. The girl's green eyes grew unimaginably large as she shook her head in refusal. 'I SAID RUN!' he ordered again. She seemed to jump slightly in surprise, after a moment of further hesitation; she turned quickly and ran down the hall, the darkness enveloping her form as she ran further into the dark halls until he could no longer see her. Then darkness claimed him, and a very deep pain took over his heart. He had lost something very precious to him. And the one think he kept saying was 'I'll get her back. I promise you, I'll get her back.' Then he heard her voice screaming out, calling to something. His ears nearly exploded from the pressure of the young girls screams.  
  
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The connection snapped like a twig and he stumbled back from the swaying redhead. He landed against a wall and fell awkwardly to the floor, sweat pouring down his face, eyes wide in shock. Justice fell to the floor as well, taking a harder fall from standing on the chair. She landed flat on the ground and quickly struggled to her hands and knees. She looked up to see him and he was curious to note that her eyes were wide as well. Except, Justice's eyes did not hold shock or strain, they held pure amazement.  
  
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Woohoo! That was real intense don't ya think. Anyway, I really should work on my project. Grrrrr. Maybe I'll post soon, if I get tired of doin my work like I did with the last two chapters. See ya soon.  
  
Karigan 


	16. Awakening

Ok, so I have the weekend off. Well, not really. I have to do work, but it's not an immediate necessaty. Anyway, So in the last chapter, Justice showed Numair his Destiny. But it seems by using her magic, she has done more then give a gift.  
  
Enjoy, Karigan  
  
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Complications  
  
By: Karigan  
  
Chapter 16  
  
'Awakening'  
  
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Far to the south, past the Great Inland Sea, across the Cartheki desert, far beyond the mountains that cut off the Northern lands from a world unknown; in the deepest recesses of the forbidden forests of magic. In a canopy of a sky scraping redwood, a beautifully woven nest, at least five feet in diameter, lays, supported by the nearly indestructible branches and vines of the forest. Within this nest, a creature of legend stirs and awakens suddenly, as if hearing a call from miles away. Its beautiful fire red head rises to attention and its predatory eyes flare a dark brick red. As if hearing the sound yet again, it raises on its clawed feet. Its silver claws digging into the nest with nervousness. As if finally realizing what it is hearing, the hawk like bird fluffs beautifully; the red gold and silver feathers throughout its massive 6 feet wingspan begin to take on a new shine.  
  
She knows that call. As far away as it may be, and as different as it may sound, she knows the feeling of her hatchlings most powerful magic. She feels her hatchlings call. It has been four nesting seasons since her hatchling disappeared, taken from her. The seasons of depression that followed are forever etched into the magnificent creatures mind. Yet now, to be able to hear her child's call is again to breathe. Now the brilliance returns to this mother. She spreads her wings and lets the magic build within her. The magic she has been denying, afraid to find that her child was dead. It builds within her until it is nearly too much to contain.  
  
Her feathers begin to flame in brightness, as if they are on fire from within. She takes various breaths, preparing for her own call. Finally, she takes one final breath, deep and long. She spreads her wings out and firmly places her taloned feet. Opening her hooked eagle's beak, she lets the magic flow out of her into her call. An eagle's screech emerges at first, high pitched and resonating. But almost immediately that screech deepens and turns to a ringing siren. The great redwood trees of the forest vibrate in unison with her call, singing their own song, which matches hers. Her siren call ends and she breaths heavily, it has taken much from her, as it always does to call. She waits; waits for an answer. Her mate will come, that is for sure. Her hopes, however, lie within the forest. Will they all come? Will they answer? They all know what she lost.  
  
Her already rapid heartbeat quickens in fear when she hears no immediate response. It is a mother's nervousness. Then she hears it, the rustling, and joy fills her; they have come. She hops to the edge of her nest and prepares for flight. Determination filling her soul. Then the forest suddenly fills with countless voices of sirens. The air vibrates. The ground shakes in harmony. She jumps from the treetop and begins her fall to the forest floor. She keeps her wings close to her long slender body, creating more speed for herself. Her feathers, which had seemed to be filled with fire before are now beginning to glow frantically. Only, a few feet from the ground, she spreads her wings wide. They catch the draft and she rears from the vertical fall into an upward glide. At the moment when the air caught her wings, her body exploded into fire. The flames stream behind her as she moves through the forest, easily gliding through the trees. She picks up more speed by pumping her wings, anxious to go. The flames that stream through her body, continue on behind her an additional four feet, yet these red, golden and silver flames do not effect anything it touches. Around her, small flames of fire can be seen in the distance. Pleased by the support, she smiles the only way she can, she screeches in joy, letting them know where she is.  
  
The edge of the forest comes into view; she will soon be on her way to claiming what is hers. The edge of the great forest only feet away.  
  
On the outside of the forest lays meadows that reach for miles. Looking from these meadows toward the forest, once can see small flames of light, impossible to tell what it could be. Suddenly, flaming balls of light break through the edge of the forest, one after another; all spanned out across the edge. Nearly 20 eagle-like birds break through, all screeching their songs of magic, there bodies flaming brilliantly. Some are enormous, with a wingspan of 10 feet, the males. Some with red eyes, some with gold eyes, some with silver eyes. And they begin their journey. A journey to reclaim their lost child; because the hatchlings are the responsibility of all of them. But more than that; each is precious to them. Each is a future for them. They will go to the ends of the earth to get back that future.  
  
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Ohhhh, could help be on the way. Maybe the Tortallans won't be alone in their fight against an unknown evil. Stay tuned for the next chapter of Complications.  
  
REVIEW! I'm SERIOUS! If ya don't REVIEW, I'm gonna stop. Got it? Good.  
  
SMILE  
  
Karigan! 


	17. Oddly Enough

All I have to say for myself is I hope I never go that far out of my mind ever again. Don't, well, don't dwell to much on that last author's note because it's just a little strange. I noticed just how strange it was when I re-read it this morning. *blush* wow. That's all I have to say about that. Anyway, let us move on to the next chapter. I'm sure you all have been anxiously awaiting it. Thanks for the patience.  
  
Karigan  
  
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Complications  
  
By: Karigan  
  
Chapter 16  
  
'Oddly Enough'  
  
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Impossible. There was no way that this was happening. Impossible. Well, maybe not impossible, but highly improbable, bordering on impossible. The chances of this actually happening were so small she had a better chance at being struck by lightning. Twice. Justice winced as she struggled quickly up from the floor. Scrambling to her hands and knees she turned to look at Numair, who was half sitting, half lying against the wall. He was breathing hard and his eyes were wide in shock. Well that seemed normal enough. She had never experienced a sight as strong as this one. It had completely gotten out of control. He was only supposed to get one vision or idea. Not as many as he did. There were at least 5 full visions in that connection and countless ideas in between each of them. 'Maybe they just needed to get out,' she though. Some visions were meant to be known. Although she had never heard of so many being seen at once.  
  
But the real issue wasn't how many visions he had gotten out of the connection. It's what 'she' had gotten out of that connection. The girl in those dreams felt as real as her own body felt. And those eyes. Justice closed her eyes tight remembering the last time she had seen those eyes. No natural human had eyes as green as that girls were. There was tremendous power within that girl. The lioness's eyes were unnatural as well, and look how much change she brought to this kingdom. But she had 'seen' those green eyes before. She had seen them in another vision long ago. And while Numair would never be able to make the connection, Justice could. Because Justice had all the pieces. Which created a very complicated problem.  
  
There was no way she could tell Numair what she had figured out. Because it wasn't his vision. She finally controlled her breathing. Opening her eyes again, she ventured a look at Numair. Had he stopped breathing? "Numair?" He was staring blankly at the floor. "Numair? Are you all right?"  
  
His voice came out in a croak. "I. I've never felt anything like that in my entire life." He stated quietly.  
  
"It was more intense then I thought it would be. I didn't even have to touch you. I thought I would have too. Because I'm not in my real form." She scrunched her nose up. "I'm sorry. If it frightened you."  
  
His eyes left the floor and flew to her own. "Frightened? No." He shook his head. "I. I saw Daine. Which means." His voice cracked slightly. "Which mans she's alive. I don't know how, but she is."  
  
Justice raised her eyebrows. "You saw more than that." Numair's eyes softened with emotion. He swallowed with difficulty and let out a breath Justice hadn't noticed he'd been holding.  
  
"Yes." He finally conceded, his voice deep with emotion. "But it's all I'm ready to deal with at the moment. The. The other visions, well." He couldn't seem to finish.  
  
"You don't have to talk abo."  
  
He interrupted. "No. I know what I saw. I don't know what it means. Or how it's even possible, but." His voice caught. "I've never felt magic that powerful before. It's different. I mean, I've felt powerful magic before, but not magic that real. It's almost as if I can touch it with my own hands. You can't do that with regular magic."  
  
"No," Justice said with a sigh. "It's not like regular magic. You can conjure up any old spell at any time with regular magic. This. This is different. This magic is real. It can't be changed. It's unchangeable and real. As real as you or I."  
  
Numair grew quiet for endless seconds. Lost in his thoughts. He finally looked back up at her. "That girl. The one in my visions. Who was she?" Justice looked slightly perturbed at him. "I know what you're thinking, Justice. But I don't see how it's possible. First, Daine can't bear children. Secondly, did you see those eyes?" Again Justice looked perturbed. Numair sighed. "Justice, that child had green eyes. Neither Daine nor I have green eyes. Daine's mother has blue eyes, her father brown. My entire family has brown or black eyes. Genetically speaking, it's impossible."  
  
"The lioness has purple eyes. I don't think that came from her parents," she said flatly.  
  
Numair thought about that. "Yes, well. Alanna is a very different story. Anyway, I don't see how it's possible. But I can't deny it. I felt it. And. Well, I suppose I believe you now."  
  
Justice scowled. "Don't sound so convinced, Numair. I might have to think you came up with the proof yourself."  
  
He winced. "Sorry."  
  
Justice sighed and winced at the sting in her ankle when she got to her feet. She froze suddenly. Her face going blank of any expression.  
  
Numair looked at her curiously. "Justice? What's the matt." He stopped suddenly to when he saw her feet. Blood had pooled around her foot. A lot of blood.  
  
"I. I didn't strain it or anything," she said nervously.  
  
Numair knew that wasn't what she was so shocked about. Her foot bled often; the iron band constantly irritating it. But she had grown accustomed to the feeling.  
  
No. What Justice had realized was what he had just realized. They were outside of the protected room he had protected. They hadn't even realized it in their earlier fight. He looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you.?"  
  
"No," she said quietly. I don't feel any of his magic. And we have been outside the room more nearly 20 minutes." She looked up at Numair with curious eyes. "Something is different."  
  
"What?" he asked. "Has he lost the power to control you?"  
  
"I don't think so." She looked thoughtfully at the bands. "Maybe. Maybe he's. -preoccupied -" she said hesitantly.  
  
Numair didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well," she said consideringly. "Maybe he's just distracted. I told you before he wasn't that strong of a mage. Maybe he's doing something else that requires his full attention." She looked up at Numair. His face was like stone. Completely expressionless.  
  
Numair, on his part, was trying hard not to panic. He didn't want to know what the mage was doing to Daine that would require so much attention. With a mental sigh he straightened his back. They could 'not' waist the time they had while he was busy standing around. He looked down at the 8 year old with serious eyes. "Let's get a move on, then."  
  
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"Retched woman!" the man growled as he paced back and forth in the small hut. He was clumsily trying to bandage up a deep gash in his shoulder. "Disgusting, annoying, retched WOMAN!"  
  
Daine was sitting against the wall in the corner of the room. Well, half sitting, half crouching. She didn't take her eyes off the tall lanky man pacing irritable in front of her. Blood dripped from somewhere on her head into her eyes. She swiped them away hastily, never moving her hard eyes away. Her body shook with violent tremors. Of fear, exhaustion, anger, or sheer panic she wasn't quite sure.  
  
She was determined to stay conscious, though her head kept fazing in and out of attention; which was why she was concentrating on the man so hard. There was no 'way' she was going to let her guard down. This man was positively mad. He had jumped into her room and had attacked her with a dagger in his hand, which he had swung around at her madly for close to 5 minutes. He had caught her left arm from her elbow to wrist. It didn't seem to deep, but she didn't like the way it kept on bleeding no matter her efforts.  
  
After giving up on his idea of killing her with the dagger, the man had started throwing punches at her. Now she was sporting a nice black eye and split lip because she had tried to keep her arm from being further damaged. When he had slammed his fist against her jaw, she had gone sprawling to the floor. He got in two or three good solid kicks before the spinning in her head had slowed down enough to let her fight back.  
  
And boy, did she fight back. She had been shocked when she tried to call to her animals for help and couldn't even feel cloud. She had never been cut off from the people and she did 'not' like it. She had attacked the man and slammed him up against the full-length mirror in her room. The glass had shattered, raining down on both of them. The glass had sliced his back and shoulders up severely. But she hadn't gotten away clean. A few stray shards had cut her neck and face slightly.  
  
But he had managed to wrestle her to the ground, proceeded to tie her hands behind her back and drag her out the window, where he then decided to jump the 20 feet to the courtyard below, taking her with him. She had braced herself for the impact of her body hitting the ground, expecting this to be the end of her life. Oddly enough, he had broken her fall. And how he had survived a twenty-foot drop onto hard packed dirt with an additional weight falling on top of him was beyond her. He didn't even seem dazed. But she was. She had gotten the blasted wind knocked out of her. And by the time she was able to breath properly again, he had thrown her over his horse like a potato sack and had headed into the royal forest, at a fast gallop.  
  
Despite her best efforts, panic had swamped her. Because (a) she couldn't talk or listen to the people, (b) she was somehow unable to get a proper hold on he shape shifting, and (c), well, she had a 'c' at the time. And it was a damn good 'c' too, but everything seemed so horribly hard to think about right now that she was kicking herself for being so forgetful.  
  
She snapped her self back into attention. She had started to daze off again. Thinking about things. She kept her eyes on the man pacing and muttering to himself again. Ready to leap at a moments notice.  
  
He suddenly swung around to face her and she got her first good look at him. He couldn't have been too much older then herself. He had dark black hair and deep brown eyes. He was darker than Numair, but not like Kaddar had been. From Carthak perhaps? One thing was for sure; he was absolutely stunningly handsome. His face couldn't have been more perfectly symmetrical if the gods had sculpted him themselves. Daine had the random thought that this man could give King Jonathan a run for his money. But one thing made his manly beauty warp into ugliness. His soul, which seemed to pour out of his eyes, was as evil as the queen of chaos. He had no good in him. Only chaos. And that frightened Daine the most. The Chaos in his eyes. Pure mad chaos.  
  
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A/N: *sigh* I really do luv this story. I have the entire story planned out in my head. Plus I'm already working on ideas for a second story once I finish this one. What do you guys thing. There shouldn't be more then 6 or 7 more chapters to this. Well, let me know what you think. Next chapter coming soon. REVIEW REVIEW!  
  
KARIGAN 


	18. Red Tide

Ok, for all those great people who have asked to post my story on their website or asked permission to illustrate my fanfiction, 'go right ahead'. All I ask is that you let me know where you're putting it so I can check it out for myself. And I'd like to see all the pictures, cause I'm real interested. Thanks guys. Ok, on with the show.  
  
Karigan *smile*  
  
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Complications  
  
By: Karigan  
  
Chapter 17 *if the chapters don't match, oh well. *smile*  
  
'Red Tide'  
  
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"You have got to be the hardest person to kill on the face of this earth." Stated the dark eyed man. "Of coarse, I've always had my little sparrow to do all the, dirty, work for me."  
  
"Any reason you have for killing me?" asked Daine casually.  
  
"You were in the castle." He stated just as casually. Daine had stray thought of how he could go from looking completely mad to completely calm and collected in a matter of seconds.  
  
"Umm, any time in particular you're talking about there, or is that just a general statement?"  
  
His hand flew around suddenly and slammed across her face. She spit out blood that was forming in her mouth and looked at the tall man calmly. "I don't like it when women get smart with me. It is not their place to question my motives anyways," he stated. "You were always in my way. Every time I tried to get business accomplished in the palace, YOU would get curious and stick your nose where it did not belong. I decided to get rid of you long ago."  
  
Daine bit her tongue severely to keep from spiting out a smart comment that would get her further attacked. She had a good mind to reach up and show him exactly where her place was. Instead, she looked around the small wood room. Small. That just about covered it. No furniture, no windows, not even a single dust mite crawling around. Nothing but wood. This was getting out of hand. Who did he think he was? The greatest mage in the Northern Lands? Surely, he knew that Numair could find her easily. She did not think he was *stupid*. "What is it you're trying to accomplish by kidnapping me?"  
  
He glared at her. "I was *not* trying to kidnap you. I was trying to kill you. But you proved resilient to my sparrow's subtle physical attempts, time and time again, so I attempted a more personal, one on one approach. Unfortunately, that appears to not have worked either," he spat while finishing off another bandage.  
  
To say she was shocked was to put it lightly. "Wha?"  
  
"Oh surely you noticed all my attempts at killing you?" At her blank look, he raised his eyes in surprise as well. "You must be thicker than I thought."  
  
Ignoring the jab, she questioned, "You tried to kill me? How?"  
  
"I sent my little sparrow after you."  
  
"Sparrow?" she thought about that. "You mean. Justice"?  
  
"*That's* her name, is it?"  
  
Daine bit her lip. Shoot! She tried to play it off. "We named her. She doesn't really respond to anything." She tried to tell herself that did not sound as stupid as she thought it did.  
  
He snorted at her. "She made two attempts on your life. You are telling me you did not realize it? Even though you ended up in the healer's hall on both occasions?"  
  
'There had been attempts on her life? Twice?' It didn't make much sense. 'The only time she was in the healer's hall in the last two years was when she had had her misca///' Daine froze. Her mouth dropped open slightly as her mind raced frantically for some kind of hold on its sanity. She has been in the healer's hall twice. Her pregnancies had been rough, but there was no reason she should have had trouble. If there had been an attempt on her life, it would explain why she had lost the children. Her throat closed off painfully, and her lungs suddenly contracted as if being squeezed by an iron fist. His subtle attempts had failed. 'What would have been subtle?' The first thought that slammed into her mind was poison. Could she have been poisoned and not have even realized it. His sparrow.  
  
Then, Daine closed her eyes hard against the pain of the realization. He had sent Justice after her. Justice had done whatever it was she had done to Daine on orders from this man. She tried to tell herself that he was controlling Justice. That she probably did not have a choice in anything, but Daine could not help feel the sharp piercing pain of betrayal. Her hand unconsciously splayed out on her lower abdomen. Trying to hold back the yell of fury that started to rise in her throat, she clenched her teeth hard and felt her fingers tighten over her stomach. Justice had. *NO* she screamed at herself. This 'man' had killed her children. She felt the blood in her veins pump madly. Felt it boil over in rage. Red filled the vision of her closed eyes. Blood red. It washed over her in crashing waves; only it never ebbed. It kept crashing and crashing over her frail control. Red filled her mouth as she bit her tongue violently with rage. Her breathing became erratic and uncontrolled, bordering on hyperventilation. The fingers that had been splayed out over her stomach were now clenching her shirt and tunic with white knuckles. Her ears rung madly. She could almost feel herself explode. The weak string that had been holding her violent temper snapped. With a yell of fury, she leaped up at him; the only thought in her mind, 'blood. She would have *his* blood.'  
  
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DUHN DUHN DUHNNNNNNNNN!  
  
AND ALL THE LITTLE PIECES BEGIN TO FALL INTO PLACE! DON'T WORRY, MORE ANSWERS ON THE WAY. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHAT DO YOU THINK? HEHEHEHEHEHEHE.  
  
Read and review read and review review review review review. *hint* * hint*  
  
Note: next week is the last week of classes for the semester. Then I have a week of final exams. 4 3 hour exams, plus 3 term papers and 1 major presentation = no time for anything else. So, I may or may not post my next chapter for a few weeks. Don't freak out! I most likely will post at least one more before exams start. But don't hold your breath. Once I get off and go home for winter break. I'll spit a chapter out every other day. OK? Good.  
  
Thanks, Karigan *Smile* 


	19. Rage and Joy

OH THE GLORY OF SNOW DAYS! I had Thursday and Friday off. Can you believe it? I have a hard enough time believing that they shut down our college for 4 inches of snow. Eeehehehehe.the mercy the Lord bestows upon us.weehoo! So I got lots of work done and am ahead of schedule. Ya, wonder how long THAT will last. About an HOUR! Anyways, the last chapter ended kinda dark, don't you think? Well, lets see how much darker I can make /// EEEEEHEHEHEHEHE!  
  
Enjoy! Karigan  
  
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Complications  
  
By: Karigan  
  
Chapter (I have no idea, I've completely lost track)  
  
'Rage and Joy'  
  
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IMPORTANT: Ok, so for this chapter, you REALLY have to pay attention to the details if you want to be able to understand future events. ESPECIALLY the very last paragraph! Enjoy!  
  
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From the look on his face, he hadn't expected to be attacked so suddenly. He took a jumping step back, but wasn't quick enough. Daine's hands reached his face and she mercilessly tour at his skin. The weight of her body, which she had thrown up in her mad rage, slammed against him and knocked them both to the unyielding wood cabin floor. She sat up on top of him and proceeded to tear and rip at whatever she could put her hands on. The mage looked up at her from behind the arms and hands he held up to protect his face and saw the raging fury in her face. Her eyes were so wide; he could se all the white around her irises. Her face was flushed a furious red making the cuts and bruises take on an odd tinge. Hot tears of anger burned a path down her face. She had her teeth gritted together painfully while screeches left her throat. She swung and kicked madly, depending only on her own personal physical strength to kill this man.  
  
She was week. Obviously, she'd been drugged, or she would have been able to shape-shift or call to the 'people'. But she couldn't. A small part of her was relieved at that. Because right now, she wanted to kill this man. She wanted to kill him by herself with no ones help. Her yells of pain and fury didn't make much sense to her own red fogged mind, but the mage lying on the floor heard them load and clear.  
  
"YOU TOOK THEM FROM ME, YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KIIIILL YOU!"  
  
She didn't notice the door swinging open to the small cabin. She didn't notice the stunned look on four men's faces at seeing this woman savagely rip at the man on the floor. She didn't notice them until she felt her arms being held back roughly. Even then, she didn't register what was going on. They dragged her off him. She fought of course. He wasn't dead. That was just unacceptable in Daine's mind. She used as much strength as she could muster, which wasn't much at this point, and swung her feet at him for one more hard kick before she was tugged out of range. She then fought against the two men holding her arms. Screeching at them in fury; demanding them to let her go. "LET GO OF ME! LET GO! LET GO! LET GOOO!"  
  
The mage got to his feet shakily with the help of the other two men that had entered the cabin; his faced marred by angry red scratches that bleed profusely. He shook off the two men's arms, then wiped at some of the blood on his cheek and looked at the blood that came off on his fingers. His eyes lifted from his hand and glared towards Daine, who was still fighting for all she was worth against the two men. Her eyes never left his body as she screamed in frustrated fury at not being able to get her hands around his neck. "She is mad," he stated simply. "Chain her so that she can cause no more problems."  
  
The two men hauled Daine to the Wall and pressed her against it. One of the men took a chain from his pack and wrapped them around her wrists. They bit in to Daine's wrists not being proper chains, just metal links hooked together. He lifted the metal, which lifted her hands and placed the chains on a high hook over her head. The hook was so high it lifted Daine so that she was barely standing on her toes.  
  
Daine had stopped her yelling by now. Coming back to herself somewhat, she began to notice what was going on. Her tear stained face took on a look of shock. Who were these men? Now he had help? This was not a good thing. She winced at the bite in her injured arm as she was lifted slightly off the ground. "What is going On?" she demanded.  
  
"I do not answer to the insane. It would be pointless now wouldn't it?" He turned and proceeded to walk out the door; closely followed by the four men. The door slammed and Daine was left alone. She let out a strangled sob and closed her eyes, trying not to break down.  
  
The tall handsome mage stepped out of the cabin and slammed the door behind the men with him. Wiping furiously at his face again he glared at the closed door for good measure. He then glared at his men. "Well, don't just stand there you idiots, go get me some more bandages." The scurried off at his bark. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. It was rare that someone made him loose his temper. He kept such tight control over it. But this woman was grinding on his nerves. He had a good mind to go with his original plan and kill her. But thought of the benefits of waiting. That MAGE would come looking for her. And along with him, his little sparrow. He would kill the Mage and he would kill Daine. Then he would teach his little songbird a lesson about ignoring him.  
  
He turned away from the cabin to look upon his small army of men. Nearly 100 men were camped around the small cabin. All suited and ready for battle. He didn't bring his entire army with him, it was too risky at this point. If plans failed, he would have to return to the south of Carthak for the rest of his rebel army, all 2,000 of them. Emperor Kaddar was a weak leader. Allowing the slaves to be set free! Reducing taxes on the revolting peasants! He would be Emperor one day, despite what his sparrow said. But he had to get rid of the Emperor's allies first. That included the Current King of Tortall and the most powerful Mage in Tortall. Getting rid of the wild mage and some of the other strong mages was an added bonus.  
  
He sighed. After he got rid of Veralidaine Salmalin, he would again be able to continue his search for the girl-child in his visions. He had grown to hate the face of that girl. With her curly brown hair and brilliant jade like-eyes. A mere child! 'Well,' he had to admit. 'She wasn't really a child, a young lady in all actuality. From his guess, she was around the age of 15 or 16 in the last vision he'd had of her. And from the looks of it she would be a sight to behold indeed. All he had to do was find this girl who was probably already born since he was so close to power, and kill her. Maybe have some fun with her first.  
  
He watched as the sun began to rise over the top of the forest trees and let show a small grin on his handsome yet injured face. Soon he would have his sparrow back. And soon he would kill two birds with one stone.  
  
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The horses were ready and an army of 10 of the king's own mounted. Alanna, Buri, Onua, Numair, and Raoul also mounted. Numair had wanted to leave right away with as few men as possible so that they could move faster. But after Justice indicated that wouldn't be the best of ideas because it wasn't JUST the mage that kept her prisoner they would have to deal with, Numair had grudgingly waited for Raoul and Alanna to gather some men. Numair was jumpy and on edge, nearly biting Justice's head off when she stubbornly declared that she would travel on foot and not on one of those four-legged mammals. She had stated that she could keep up just fine, thank you. And true to her word, when they finally took off with a hurried trot, she ran along side, seemingly unaffected by the strain of the bands or strenuous exercise.  
  
On Justice's part, she couldn't be happier than she was when she was running alongside her ridding companions. She felt a bit guilty about being so happy when Daine was in so much danger, but she couldn't help it. As she ran along the dirt road, the sun began to rise over the horizon, and the glorious warm rays of sun hit her face. She gloried in them. The SUN~OH GLORIOUS SUN! She hadn't been out in the sun for nearly 6 months. She began to wonder if her obsession with the sun didn't directly stem from an actual physical need. She could have sworn she felt her energy building as the minutes and hours passed by. She ran and ran to the astonishment of the humans, never tiring. She could feel her energy building.  
  
At one point, she looked to the side of the dirt road at some trees and let some of her magic call out to them. The trees had answered back in their own hidden magic. Brilliant green seeped from the roots of the trees out of the vegetation-less dirt around the forest floor and glowed brightly for a few seconds in greeting of the firebird before dieing out. Alanna's head had snapped over to the roadside when her peripheral vision had caught a slight glowing of some kind. But when she looked more closely at a grouping of trees where she had seen it, she saw nothing but freshly bloomed brilliant violets surrounding their base. Shaking her head in dismissal, she returned her attention to the path.  
  
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A/N: OOOOOHHHHH!!! I like this chapter. Don't you? I hope you paid attention to the last chapter, cause that is SOOOOOOOOOO important. Well, hopefully I'll get another chapter in soon before exams start. In the meantime, enjoy!  
  
Oh and RRRRRREEEEEEEEVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW!  
  
Thank you!  
  
Karigan 


	20. Surprise!

*sigh* It's 1 am, I've gone through 6 hours of hard labor serving food at a blasted Applebee's restaurant, 5 hours of staring at my text books and writing papers, and a two hour fight with my mother on the phone over my scholarship money. Pshhhhh. I am done with the serious stuff for the day. I want to write fun stuff.  
  
So I was thinking about 'complications' while trying to go to sleep last night. I was wondering how to go about the next few chapters, because I have approximately a gazillion scenarios of how this story should end rolling around in head. I also had to sit there and figure out how to answer a few questions about the story that seemed plausible. You know, making sure everything fits together nicely without completely making it seem fake. I realized that I have not included Kitten as much as I probably should have. So, I was pondering this little dilemma of mine, thinking, lets include Kitten a bit more shall we; after all, she is way to cute to exclude. But how? I asked myself. I started mentally going through all of Kitten's little facts of existence. Then suddenly, *ping* light bulb! I figured out the answer to one of my most worried questions about the story. And while I won't tell you the specifics, cause why give away such a HUGE part of the story, I will give you a clue. The part I'm sticking Kitten into includes an answer to a huge question having to do with Justice. And no, it's not 'Why is Justice afraid of Kitten?' I'll get to that in this chapter. I wanted to tell you this because when the revelation hit me at 2 am in the morning, I gave myself a pat on the back, because I have such cool ideas. Anyway, enough babbling. Enjoy!  
  
Karigan  
  
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Complications  
  
By: Karigan  
  
Chapter 20  
  
Surprise!  
  
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"HALT!" roared Raoul from the front of the small procession of Tortallans. Alanna flinched the side of her saddle while glaring at Raoul for screaming so close to her ear. He shrugged apology to the Lioness.  
  
Alanna turned in her saddle to look for the small red-headed girl that followed them on foot. "Justice? How close are we?"  
  
Justice looked at her surroundings and blanched. Maybe she should have paid closer attention when being dragged back and forth everywhere. "I think we're close. I'm not sure exactly. It's been a while since I was at his camp."  
  
Numair sighed in aggravation and reached into his pocket for the bracelet he had made so many years ago.  
  
"NUMAIR!" He jumped at his name and looked up to see Alanna pointing at him in reproach. "No! You need your strength. We can find it without that little gift drainer of yours."  
  
"Alanna," he tried.  
  
"NO!" she repeated.  
  
He shoved it back into his pocket and ran nervous hands through his hair. This was taking too much time. Justice said there was a small band of rebels that followed the mage loyally. She estimated about 10 of them from what she remembered. He didn't like feeling this helpless. Daine was somewhere out in the woods; most likely injured; and here he sat, waiting for an eight year old to remember which way to go. His stomach was tied in knots and he constantly felt a lump of fear in his throat.  
  
Alanna sighed. "We need to stop and rest the horses and our own bottom ends." At Numair's glare she said, "We can't push the horses this much Numair and we have to get things ready to deal with these rebels." She patted Numair on the back before barking orders at the men to feed, water and rest their horses quickly, grab something to eat, and prepare their weapons.  
  
The sun was well past noon at this point. Justice had been running since before dawn. She could not have felt better if she had all the rest in the world. She stretched her legs languidly and lifted her face to the sun, feeling the warm heat.  
  
Beside her was Onua's brown riding horse eating a bit of grass on the side of the road. Justice looked around nervously and then reached her hand up in curiosity. She's never touched a hoarse before. She was about to feel the texture of the mare's hair when a sudden rumble came from one of the packs. She squeaked and jumped back a step, eyes wide in surprise. She narrowed her eyes at the pack, taking a step forward to inspect it more closely when it rumbled again. She lifted her hand and was about to lift the cover off the woven basket when it popped up with the help of a little lizard like head. Kitten. Justice shrieked in fright and stumbled backwards. She landed in a pile of dirt, messing up her breeches.  
  
She was hauled up from behind by Onua. "Hey there, relax. It's just Kitten."  
  
"Kitten?!? That is NOT a kitten. That's a DRAGON!" she said as if Onua didn't know any better.  
  
Onua chuckled. "I know she's a dragon, Justice. We just call her Kitten. Her real name is Skysong though. She's Daine's. Poor Kitten is worried about Daine. She wanted to come along."  
  
Justice eyes the little dragon warily. "I can't believe Daine has a dragon. Who would want a dragon?" she said with mild disgust. Then with sudden realization, she announced, "That's the dragon that's been running around the castle. I thought it was just my imagination."  
  
Numair and Alanna walked up to join in the conversation. "I've been meaning to ask you about that. I've just forgotten," stated Numair. "Why do you not like Kitten?"  
  
Justice looked at him with surprise. "She's a DRAGON," she stated as if that were answer enough. When all she got were blank looks, she continued. "Dragons are filthy!" That got a few raised eyebrows. "They're filthy, and disgusting. Who would like scales and slithery tongues and, and, just LOOK at her." Kitten snorted in indignantly while turning a shade of grey.  
  
"You don't like Dragons because of the way they LOOK?" asked Alanna in shock.  
  
"No! That's not all. They're presumptuous, rude, pompous, know-it-alls who are mean to anyone who isn't a Dragon." After a few blinks from the stunned group, she finished off with a dramatic, "Aaaand," she whispered the next part, forcing the three listeners to bend down closely in order to hear. "They're lizards, well, sort of. Do you know what lizards eat?" Onua raised an eyebrow in question. "BIRDS!" yelled Justice.  
  
After a moment of stunned silence, Alanna started shaking in repressed laughter. She tried to hold in her mirth when she saw Justice's unamused face, but couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, turning away from the group with her face in her hands. Onua was crouched on the ground holding her stomach as whoops of laughter consumed her. Even Numair, as worried as he was, gave way to a few good chuckles. Justice simply stood there, arms crossed, a pout marring her small perfect face. "I don't consider that at all amusing." She stomped away.  
  
Entering the edge of the woods bordering the road she picked at the bread and cheese she had been given to eat while strolling lazily. She plopped down in soft grass and leaned against a pine. She looked up at the sky mostly hidden by leaves. Streaming beams of light came pouring through the forest top landing on random places on the forest floor. She sighed. It wasn't as beautiful as the towering redwoods of the great forest, nor was it nearly as full of animals. But it had its own certain something. It was nice.  
  
She let her magic whisper softly to the forest. She felt the tree she was leaning against hum in response, the grass around her sway in greeting, the bushes rustle in recognition. A deep green light glowed from their bark and leaves. She smiled. She MISSED talking with the flora. She felt the tree vibrate against her back and listened as he excitedly explained his pleasure of actually speaking with a firebird. Humans didn't know about this kind of magic. This kind of magic was older than any other magic. It began when the earth began. When the first of life began to appear. The bush questioned why a firebird would be this far north. Wasn't she far away from home? She answered them truthfully. Explaining her situation in silent whispers of firebird magic. The trees, bushes and grass listened with rapt attention as she told her tale, vibrations of their outrage blazed through her mind. Firebirds were special creatures. Even THEY knew that. The flora loved firebirds. To have one in their actual forest for only a few minutes would create enough blessed magic to keep away disasters for an entire season. The pine declared he would spread the news and hopefully be able to help if he possibly could. She thanked him profusely.  
  
She stretched out her legs in front of her, the metal bands under her boots catching her attention. She scrunched her face up at them while she tapped the right band with her left boot tip. 'Odd,' she thought. It was as if he had completely given up on using magic on her. Which was ridiculous to say the least. He was obsessed with having control of her magic. Though he would never really have control over it. It had been HOURS since she had left the magically protected room and she hadn't felt his magic once. Puzzled she scratched her head. She thought that as soon as she had left the room he would have been jumping to get her back. Unless he knew she was coming back on her own.  
  
Justice's eyes opened wide in realization. He KNEW they were coming. He wasn't just hoping they would, he was counting on it. Her head shot to the side looking at the dirt road where the others where resting. As if they had been waiting for her realization that they were stepping into a trap, her advanced bird-like hearing picked up a scream from not to far away. She jumped to her feet and looked to the sky. Her heart stopping in terrifying dread. Somewhere around 50 arrows flew into the sky, arcing at their peeks and began their downward decent. She screamed in warning. The hawk-like screech that emerged from her throat carried for miles through the forest.  
  
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A/N: DON"T YELL AT ME!!!! I know it's a cliffy, but come on, it makes the story all the better. Don't you think? I'll write the next one real soon. I just started writing and I couldn't stop. Enjoy!  
  
And if yelling at me for the cliffy gets you to write reviews, then yell all you want. I LOVE reviews.  
  
Thanks,  
  
Karigan 


	21. Acid Rain

IT'S NOT MY FAULT! IT'S NOT MY FAULT! I have been completely technology deprived. It was soooo horrible. I wanted to cry. My parent's computer was in for repair at Best Buy and I didn't have a computer to use for almost a week. I though I'd die from technology withdrawal. And I felt worse cause I promised the next chapter on Friday. Horrible horrible horrible. But now I have a computer, so here is the next chapter.  
  
A/N: There is ONE Curse word in this chapter. WARNING WARNING!  
  
Also: Thank you everyone for voting. I got SO many responses. One of the questions tied so I had to make a draw on it, but I almost died of happiness when I opened my email this afternoon and saw like 20 messages from you people. You guys are ALL SO COOL!  
  
Anyway: Enjoy  
  
Karigan  
  
Complications  
  
'Acid Rain'  
  
A load screech pierced painfully through his ears. Almost immediately Numair registered it as the familiar hawk-like call that came from Justice on occasion. He felt his heart pick up speed in trepidation as he flung himself from his squatting position near the fire. His arm flew up and out to sweep into a large arc as he let his gift fly. Black sparkling magic flew from his hand to form a protective barrier around Alanna, Kitten, Buri, a soldier of the king's own and himself. A group of arrows slammed into the black magic seconds after it solidified, snapping on impact.  
  
He got his first look around after the initial shock. Arrows continued to rain down on them. From the corner of his eye he caught sight of a group of arrows slamming into the herd of warhorses. Neighs of pain and hysterics could be heard from the horses; as well as the sound of one or two large bodies falling to the ground. Two of the King's own were down, one from an arrow to the back and the other through the neck. Rauol was ducking under the storage cart screaming orders to his men to grab their weapons. Alanna was screaming and cursing madly into a small purple magic bubble in her hand.  
  
Numair looked around frantically trying to see where the arrows had come from. He looked to the side of the road and saw Justice practically flying towards them, jumping over logs and shoving aside foliage. Her eyes were wide open in fright. He held out his hand and yelled for her to freeze. To his amazement, that's precisely what she did feet from the side of the road. "Stay there! You're safer among the trees!" She nodded mutely, her face pale.  
  
The horses were kicking and fighting their ropes madly. Alanna, who was still screaming into her purple bubble let out a string of very vivid words that made one of the men who was wrapping torn cloth around his fellow soldiers arm look up and blush. Numair turned towards the horses again and saw Cloud fidgeting and pawing the ground nervously. An arrow pierced the straw of a woven basket hanging to her side. Numair had a second of panic until he saw Kitten shoot her head out of the basket and trill at the offending arrow angrily. Onua shot up from behind a wagon that hid the rest of their unhurt numbers and ran towards the horses, intent on seeing to their injuries.  
  
Numair heard some kind of whistling sound from far away a second before he heard Justice yell to watch out. He shot the magic barrier back up to protect them from a new shower of arrows. He looked towards the unprotected horses when his throat caught in shock. Onua, hearing Justice's yell of another attack of arrows, turned around. Arrows fell from the sky like rain drops. Numair tried to call out to her, but he was to late. An arrow pierced into the right side of Onua's chest. Her eyes opened wide in shock and she let out a strangled cry of pain. The impact of the arrow pushed her back. Her right foot took a stumbling step backwards in a sloppy attempt to keep balance. Her right arm reached forward as to grab on to something as she fell backwards onto her back.  
  
Alanna screeched in rage from behind Numair and across the road he saw Buri fighting to get past one of the King's own in order to go to Onua. Justice was leaning against a tree, her eyes wide and staring at Onua's prone body, her face completely blank otherwise. He didn't know how many seconds or minutes he sat there squatting and staring at Onua's body. All he knew was the sudden yelling of Alanna to get up because 'the bastards were finally coming to fight face to face'. He got to his legs shakily and reached for his staff that was stored in the wagon, his ears filling with the ringing war cries of their attackers as they drew nearer. The world seemed to move in slow motion as he reached in to grab Wyrens gift. A quick glance to the right gave him the view of Buri frantically trying to revive Onua. The two other hit men lay on the ground; their eyes open in a dead stare. There was no saving them. He watched as Alanna, Raoul and the King's own mounted the standing horses and flanked into position. At least 5 horses had gone down. He turned and faced their attackers. At least 80 men it looked like. He swallowed in trepidation. The odds were not in their favor. His last thoughts as he reached for his gift in attack was 'I need to get to Daine.' 


	22. Night

Ok! Next chapter is up. I know you all want more Numair and Daine seens. But I can't tell a good story if its all Daine and Numair. But there will be more scenes with those two in the end. I promise. Enjoy!  
  
Complications  
  
Night  
  
His boots where bogged down in mud as he made his way across a mostly dried up creek. His breath came in quick short pants as he pulled his leg up to dislodge it from the sinking mud. From behind came a snap of twigs and a grunt as Buri fell to her knees.  
  
Numair turned quickly, reached down and pulled on her arm. "Get up! Come on, we have to keep going! We have to find the others!" His voice was horse and cracked in exhaustion.  
  
Buri heaved herself up from the mud with Numair's help, grimacing in pain at the pull in her broken and bloodied wrist. Setting her teeth she growled, "I can't BELIEVE this is happening! I can't! We got ambushed in the middle of our own forest, ended up in full out battle with near a hundred men, got SEPERATED, been out here in the blasted cold for two nights, lost five men at least, Onuas in the foliage somewhere BLEEDING to death, AND HOW THE HELL DID THAT MANY ARMED MEN GET PAST THE BORDERS?"  
  
Numair grunted in response. "I don't know." He added dryly. "Maybe they all came in separately and just met up. That doesn't matter now anyways. We still have to find their camp. Daine is there."  
  
Buri froze and stared at him in amazement. "Numair, you don't honestly think she's still alive, do you?" When he didn't answer, she added, "I mean, look what they did to us. I just pray that she went quickly and painlessly."  
  
Numair swung around and pinned her with a dead stare. Raising his hand and pointing at her he growled, "She's still alive. She has to be. And I'm going to find her."  
  
"Well could we concentrate on at least finding the others first? We have a better chance of finding Daine if there are more of us." He didn't answer. "Numair, we need to find the others. We're going to starve if we don't regroup. We haven't been able to set up camp for two nights. In case you haven't noticed, you and I have been living off of berries and moss for two days because we don't want to start a fire and give away are position to that rebel army. We're both injured. You're gift is pretty much tapped out. Come on, the army Alanna called for should arrive soon. We don't want to be caught in the middle of the cross-fire." He continued to trudge along, climbing up a steep incline out of the creek. She followed of coarse, using all fours to haul herself up in her exhaustion, grumbling nonsense about him being more stubborn than Daine.  
  
Numair, despite what Buri thought, had listened to her entire rant with close attention. She was right, they needed to find the others if they were going to have any chance of surviving without being about to light fires. But he needed to find Daine. Something in his gut kept telling him, he needed to find her now. The rebel camp was well hidden, probably by magic. On any normal occasion he wouldn't have had trouble finding a magically hidden camp. But the fight two nights ago had spent most of his gift; and the little food or water and lack of good sleep did little to replenish it. Who he really needed was Justice. She could see through any gift magic without trying. Plus, Buri needed to rest. She had taken a nasty fall when the two of them had been separated from the group. Her wrist was torn up fairly badly. He sighed heavily; about to turn and tell her they would go find the others when he heard a snap of twigs and a grunt from off to the side.  
  
Buri swung around at the sudden noise as well, pulling out her daggers and positioning her feet in the ready.  
  
"Honestly!" Came a voice from the bushes. "I could here you yapping from 50 feet away Buri. I thought we'd rid you of that habit."  
  
From behind a bush stepped out an extremely dirty Alanna. Attached to her hand, and what seemed was her hip, was an equally filthy Justice. They were both caked in dried mud. Alanna's bright hair dulled to an ugly brown. Justice's flaming cascade of silky hair was matted to her head and back.  
  
Buri, with a huge smile plastered on her face, ran to Alanna for a shared embrace. "Thank the Gods you're alright!"  
  
Numair came up to the two red heads as well, patting Alanna on the back in companionship. He bent down to get a better look at Justice. She had attached herself to Alanna's hip. Under all the mud he could see her face was stark white, her eyes open wide in nervousness. "Justice? It's all right. You're ok. It's just Buri and me, Numair." As if taking a great leap of faith, Justice slowly dislodged herself from Alanna's hip and hand to get a better look at him. Then, before he could blink, she had launched herself at him, wrapping her slender arms around his neck tightly, her face buried in his shoulder. He almost fell backwards from the impact, but he managed to keep steady. Standing to his towing height, he wrapped his own arms around her back in a comforting hug. Justice wrapped her legs around his waist and was holding on to him like a lifeline, her entire body shook.  
  
Alanna took a deep breath and sighed heavily, stretching her entire body. Shaking her head at Numair and Buri's worried looks about Justice. "We need to set up camp and get something to eat."  
  
Numair spoke softly and gently into Justice's ear. "Justice, can you tell if there is any rebels around here being hidden by magic? Alanna and I are both tapped out."  
  
Justice shook her head weakly and squeaked a 'no'.  
  
"No, you can't tell?" Buri questioned.  
  
"There's no one around." She said in a shaking voice.  
  
Alanna looked around and pointed to a small clearing surrounded by trees and bushes. "We can set up over there. Buri, would you take Justice over to that creek you just passed and try and clean her up a bit while Numair and I get a fire started?"  
  
"Sure." Buri tuned to Numair who was prying Justice's arms and legs away from him while whispering comforting reassurances. After a few minutes, she finally let go of Numair, and attached herself to Buri who led Justice back down to the small creek.  
  
Numair and Alanna gathered up some wood and began clearing a small area to start a small fire. Alanna ignored Numair's pointed looks as they worked. Finally, Numair broke. "What happened?" It was blunt and commanded an answer.  
  
Alanna sighed and placed another log on the stack and then looked up at him in annoyance. "The same thing that happened to everyone else, Numair. We got separated, chased and attacked."  
  
He grew angry. With a hard, cold voice he questioned, "You're telling me that 'that'," he pointed in Justice and Buri's direction, "is the result of being chased and attacked? I'm not stupid Alanna; don't take me for being stupid! She's been chased before! Mithros! She was dragged across the entire Cathiki and Tortallan lands and didn't act like that! She was practically attached to your hip when we saw you. THAN she was attached to me. And now Buri's probably has to get in the water as well in order to clean her off. Which brings to mind the question of why you two look the way you do. Did you take a bath in the wet dirt or did you just have a mud fight?"  
  
Alanna slammed down the materials she was using to start the fire and glared at him. "She's EIGHT, Numair! She may have seen a lot, but she hasn't seen it all. We were attacked by near 20 men with swords and axes. Twenty against two! Put together how that must have gone. It's a miracle from the God's the both of us aren't dead, yet we both are alive. We had to fight back. She had to fight back. She had to kill men Numair. She's eight and she's killed men. How would you feel? She didn't even have time to deal with it. We had to run through the riverbanks in the middle of the night to get away from them. We couldn't see a damned thing. We couldn't go into the water because it was freezing, and the forest is covered with dried leaves and twigs. We had to go through the mud blind!"  
  
Numair blinked. "She's killed before. She told us so the first day we met her. That isn't new."  
  
Alanna stuck the flint hard, the wood catching and brightening as it grew. Her mud streaked face and hair glowing queerly from the firelight. Her eyes taking on a deep amethyst as she looked up at Numair, she whispered, "She was always being controlled the times before. She could forgive herself in some way because she knew that had it been her own choice, she would not have done it. But now, all that changed. She had a choice back there, and she killed them. It's the first time she willingly killed someone. It's just as if she'd never killed before. And she did it with passion, Numair. I saw her, she didn't hold back. Almost like revenge of some kind. I've never seen anyone move so fast in my life. The men she went after didn't have time to know what hit them. She's not skilled, but she is fast. That gave her the leverage she needed. So now, she can question herself. She willingly killed those men. Does that mean she was capable of killing those from earlier. Maybe she wasn't being that controlled after all."  
  
Numair was in shock. He hadn't thought of that. All the information Alanna had just provided was ringing in his head. "But, she wouldn't have killed those others. We know that."  
  
"Yes." Alanna replied calmly. "We do. But she doesn't."  
  
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After they had all washed up, Alanna caught some very fat rabbits for them to eat. Numair helped bandage Buri's wrist up. They ate in silence; Justice curled up to herself. They put out the fire before nightfall and headed off.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Buri questioned. "Wait for the army?"  
  
"No," answered Numair automatically. "We need to find the camp and get Daine back."  
  
"Numair," Buri retorted, "if you haven't guessed by now, they used Daine as the bait. They knew we were coming before, they'll know we're coming now. We should wait for the army."  
  
"I've never left Daine behind. I'm not starting now."  
  
"The army should have been here by now." Alanna answered. "Something's wrong. We need to find the camp and get a hold of this mysterious mage. I'm with Numair in finding there camp."  
  
Justice spoke up willingly for the first time. "I'm with Numair too. I want to get Daine back."  
  
Numair turned to them. Looking at Justice's bands he questioned her with his eyes. She answered. "No, he's still not using it. I don't know why."  
  
He nodded and then looked to Alanna and Buri. "So we find the camp."  
  
Buri sighed heavily. But trotted along after the other three grumbling, "I want my headstone to read, 'Buri, courageous, loyal, and stupid enough to follow a crazy mage, a bad tempered Lioness and an eight year old into battle.'" She followed though. She would always follow. That's what friends were for.  
  
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Thank you,  
  
Karigan 


	23. Escape

OK. Here is the next chapter. I really think the story is coming together. This chapter is really my attempt at making sure everyone knows Daine is soooo not helpless. She can do things on her own if she wants. Enjoy!  
  
Thanks, Karigan  
  
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Complications  
  
Escape  
  
Daine hissed in pain as she pulled against the metal chains that bound her hands above her head. She pulled as hard as she could, trying to yank her hands free of the loops. But the harder she pulled on them, the tighter they seemed to get. Crying out in frustration, she yanked several hard times, expecting no results. The knife wound that started at her wrist and reached down to her elbow had clotted with dried blood and was swelled a deep burning red, the tale-tell signs of infection.  
  
Two days! She's been hanging here for two days. Her arms were painfully numb from the lack of blood running to them. Deep black bruises surrounded her wrist, formed by the chains and her own weight. The muscles in her shoulders screamed constantly from trying to pull some of the weight off of her wrists.  
  
Her tunic was stained with dirt, blood, vomit and sweat. Her breeches were torn and she was barefoot -having been taking a nap when the mage attacked her-. She was tired and aggravated and just plain miserable. It was actually fairly quiet. The only time she saw anyone was when they came in to give her some water, which, judging from the gods offal taste, had a few extra ingredients. She had refused the water at first, but after they had forced it down her throat the first time, she decided it wasn't worth the extra broken rib she had gotten in the process of resisting.  
  
Whatever it had in it, it kept her wild magic out of her reach. It also made her physically sick for hours afterwards. And being unable to move from her current position, she was forced to be sick on herself. She tried to keep her optimism up by thinking about Numair and Onua and Alanna and all of her fiends. But she was hungry, dirty and in pain. Her spirits were rapidly dropping. What was happening? Why was it taking so long for them to find her?  
  
The lack of food or sleep was playing ticks on her mind. A few times, right before they brought in the water to give her, she had imagined far off voices. Voices she had never heard before-almost like sirens. They sounded somewhat like the griffin's call, yet different. The griffin sounded like chimes to her; this sounded deeper and richer, making her bones vibrate. She would try and distinguish it between her magic seeping back in our just her ears when they would come in and feed her more of the flavored water.  
  
Something was wrong with the Tortallans. That much was obvious from their lack of presence. She looked up at her metal binds that were placed on a wooden hook on the wall. She had a fleeting idea, but the difficulty involved was very discouraging. She looked around the room and then down at herself. She took a sniff and bolted her head back up. 'I SMELL!' she thought with disgust. That did it. "No more waiting!" she muttered. "Just grit your teeth, and get it over with, Daine. Come on, Daine. Just do it." She sighed in aggravation when her little self-pep talk had little effect on her outlook.  
  
She took a deep breath, grit her teeth and clenched her eyes shut. She picked up one of her half dangling feet and placed it against the wall behind her. Then, she placed the other a bit higher, using her calf muscles to push herself up. Her wrist screamed in pain at the added pressure but she bit harder and took another step up the wall, this time using her arm and shoulder muscles to help pull herself up. She desperately tried to keep her bare feet from slipping down the wall by putting plenty of weight against them. She continued a few more steps up, her knees bending more and more with each step up. She took another tiny step up when her foot slipped down the wall slightly. It pulled savagely at her wrist and she heard herself cry out in pain as tears streaked down her face. She caught herself and placed both feet against the wall firmly. She was breathing frantically. 'A little more,' she told herself weakly. 'Just a little higher.' She took another step up and then another, ignoring the warmth that seemed to drip down her arms.  
  
Finally, she thought she was high enough. Her body was almost completely scrunched up. Her feet firmly placed on the wall, the heels touching her underside. She took several erratic breaths. Though clenched teeth she counted out loud to herself. "One, Two, THREE!" She shoved her body up and out using her feet. At the same time she slammed her wrists back against the wall and up in hopes of unhooking herself from the wall. If she didn't unhook herself, she would fall back down and most likely break her wrists.  
  
She felt herself fall forward and down, bracing for the pain of her wrist braking. But she kept going. She fell to the floor with a clumsy thump, her knees taking the brunt of the fall. She fell forward on her stomach her arms up over her head. She drank in heaving breaths of air, as she shook in pain. The blood started pounding back into her arms, making them sting and making the cut in her arm bleed anew. Her knees throbbed from her awkward landing and her head spun crazily. She couldn't even feel her wrist anymore. After a few minutes she rolled onto her side and pushed herself up to sit against the wall. That's when she noticed streaks of blood running down both her arms. Morbid curiosity consumed her for just a moment as she noticed that the chains had cut through her wrist while she had been climbing up the wall, probably when she had slipped slightly.  
  
The chains would just have to go, she determined. She snorted when she realized that they came off easily; the hook being what kept the knot around her wrist holding. They fell away easily. She raised herself to her legs shakily, using the wall to keep balance. She staggered to the door. 'It's not even locked!' she realized in disbelief. 'Maybe he his stupid as well as mad.' She cracked it open and peeked outside. It was dark out with the beginnings of a waxing crescent moon. It would be hard to see anything in the middle of the night.  
  
No one seemed to be looking at the moment, so she slid herself out the door and around the corner of the small wooden cabin. She felt her body shiver violently from the change in temperature. 'Gods, but is it COLD!' she thought frantically. Fall was coming to end and the first winds of winter had started to come in a few weeks ago. She looked around the cabin at the camp. Slowly she started to register what she was seeing. There weren't more than 20 or 30 men camped out, all either sleeping or talking amongst themselves. But the camp was set up to accommodate 5 times that number. She didn't know where the rest of the camp was, but she was fair certain that the missing number of men was the reason Numair and the rest of her friends hadn't been able to help her.  
  
She saw the mage walk across the grounds and step into a tent. She was about to follow when she suddenly felt sick. She lurched to the side and vomited. She wiped her mouth and breathed deeply. She wasn't in any condition to go after the mage at the moment. She turned away from the camp and started to walk slowly away in an attempt at avoiding detection.  
  
She was about 200 yards away from the camp when she heard shouts and screams that had her turn around quickly in the direction in which she had come. After a moment of hesitation, she turned back way from the camp and sprinted off as fast as her exhausted legs would carry her. She ran through the forest for all she was worth, jumping over logs and ducking under low branches. She crashed through some bushes that added unseen scrapes to the already numerous ones she had acquired from the broken mirror in her room. With hardly any moon to help her vision and her shape- shifting abilities out for the count she was running mostly blind. She thanked the Gods for her unusual natural ability to see well in the dark. She was able to see most of the large obstructions in front of her, though she still stubbed her feet on various smaller objects.  
  
She could hear them behind her; they were gaining on her. Cursing them for having both shoes and most likely torches to light their way, she kept running, her breath coming in desperate pants. She felt a branch catch and rip out some of her hair. She was growing desperate. She wouldn't be able to keep ahead of them much longer. Something inside of her kept telling her to keep running, that she couldn't let them catch her, but not for her own life, for someone else's. Someone else's life depended on her getting away.  
  
Her feet were hurting from the hard rocks and logs they had run and stumbled across. Suddenly, there wasn't any ground under her. She fell backwards and the side as the ground swooped down dramatically. She tried to keep her slide down under control, failing miserably. She finally hit the bottom of the steep hill. She got to her feet and looked up, they were right behind her from the nearness of the shots. She started to take off again around a bend of rocks when she ran into something solid yet soft. Startled she looked around and saw a torch. She panicked. They'd caught her. She looked up desperately and froze. "Wha, Alanna!?!"  
  
Alanna seemed just as surprised. For a second they both just stared at each other. When more shouts came from behind Daine, Alanna looked past her into the night then, grabbing Daine's hand, she pulled her behind the rocks into a tiny crevice barely large enough to hide their tightly crammed bodies.  
  
"Alanna, what are," she snapped her mouth shut when Alanna but a finger over her mouth in a command of silence. Moments later a group of men ran past the small opening, completely missing them. They stood there for a good ten minutes before Alanna let out a cleansing breath. Daine hadn't stopped staring at Alanna the entire time. Finally she said, "Alanna, how did you know where I was?"  
  
//////////  
  
Hope you all like this chapter. I tried to make it as intense as I could. I'm going to start writing the next chapter as soon as I finish posting this one because I'm on a roll here. The next chapter is going to be the beginning of the end of this story. But just as a reminder not to worry, I have at least two continuing stories I want to write after this one. Enjoy!  
  
Thanks, Karigan 


	24. Burn

Well, fanfiction.net wouldn't let me sign in for two days.  So I've been sitting here with a finished chapter that I haven't been able to post.  But I got up this morning and 'vuala!' it works.  So here it is.  I really enjoy reading all the reviews.  Please keep them coming.  I did a quick spell check on this chapter.  I know there are still mistakes.  But you all are very intelligent; and I'm sure you can figure out the words.  Smile.

Karigan

///////

Complications

By: Karigan

'Burn'

///////

"Alanna, how did you know where I was?"

The two women un-stuffed themselves from the rock crevice.  Alanna was looking Daine up and down curiously.  Taking the younger girls arm in hand gently, Alanna hissed at the infected wound that reached from elbow to wrist and the ugly black bruising and torn skin around her wrist.  Gently touching the swollen flesh of her arm, Alanna answered as she assessed the damage.  "I didn't.  We're camped a bit to the west.  I had first watch while the others slept.  I heard yelling and screaming, so I came to check it out."  She smirked slightly. "I wouldn't have been able to wake the other three, they're completely exhausted."

Daine's heart leapt.  "Which other three?"

Alanna looked up from Daine's arm and smiled at the girl's hopeful question.  "He's there."

Daine let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding.  She looked past Alanna in the direction of the small campsite, egger to get back to Numair.  She desperately wanted to see him, to hold him again.  She jumped slightly and hissed when she felt direct pressure on her long cut.  "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing, silly.  The cuts bleeding badly, Daine.  And it's infected.  I'm trying to at least stop the bleeding before we go back."

Daine pulled away.  "I want to go to the camp first.  I need to see Numair.  Now."  She was so nervous about seeing Numair again that she was shaking.  It was only two and a half days.  It felt like two and a half months.

Alanna sighed and then nodded in understanding.  "Alright, lets go."  They walked slowly back.

"Who are the other two with you?"

"Buri and Justice," answered Alanna.

"That's an odd combination.  Buri usually goes with the riders or the King's own."

"That's right.  We had a group of 15 or so.  But we were ambushed.  We lost some people to arrows before we even got to face near 80 rebel worriers."  Daine stumbled over a rock, regaining her footing with Alanna's help.

"Oh no.  The horses?"

"We lost 5 horses, I think.  Cloud was ok the last time I saw her, as well as Kitten.  Numair, Buri, Justice and I found each other again early this evening.  We've been looking for the rebel camp for hours.  Around Midnight we set up camp to rest.  Buri's got a broken wrist and some bad scratches that need resting and Justice has gone nearly three days without sleep.  She may be immortal, but she's in a human body; she can't push it the way she is.  We had to stop."

Daine felt miserable.  Men and horses had died because they had come looking for her.  "Well, I hope Onua can help heal some of the horses that were wounded."  She looked at Alanna with curiosity when she got no reply.  She was about to ask about Alanna's sudden silence when the dim light of a campfire and hushed voices caught her attention.  She walked faster, drawn to the fire like a firefly.

From the area from which they headed, Daine heard Numair's muffled voice.  "I can't believe she took off without telling one of us where she was headed."

Buri's voice took over.  "Relax, Numair.  I'm sure she's fine.  Alanna can take very good care of herself.  She's been doing it for years."

The two women were feet from view when Alanna laughed out loud and said, "That's right, I've been doing this for longer than you have, Numair, so quite worrying so much.  They stepped into the campers view.

Daine froze when she saw Numair.  He seemed tired and worn.  His skin was almost gray –he'd used a lot of magic lately-.  His face was dirty and bruised and the most handsome face she could ever remember seeing.  Despite her sore cheeks and lips, Daine couldn't help but beam at the sight of him.

When Numair heard Alanna's mocking tone, he'd looked up to glare at her.  When he saw Daine standing there, he could have given Alanna everything he had ever and would ever own in gratitude.  He stood from his crouching position next to the fire to look at her in amazement.  Her eyes were as blue as ever though slightly sad.  He couldn't take his eyes off her blue-gray eyes.  When she smiled at him, he was lost.

They both leapt at each other.  Daine threw aching arms around his neck and clung on for dear life.  Numair swept her up and crushed her to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder.  Both arms wrapped like vices around her, one placed between her shoulder blades to press her entire body as closely as possibly to him, the other holding her head firmly in place, strocking her hair convulsively.  He felt hot tears on his neck and crushed her to him harder, feeling his own throat clog with emotion.  "Goddess Bless," he croaked.  "Gods, Magelet.  You scared me."  She only seemed to cry harder at his words.  He kept her crushed against her body.  Would he ever be able to let her go?

His question was answered when he felt her body wince when his arm brushed against hers.  He pulled back, noticing for the first time her bruised face.  His eyes grew wide as he took in the rest of her.  She had scrapes and cuts on her face and neck.  Deep blue bruises on her cheeks and a lip that was split in two different spots.  A deep cut ran down one of her arms, red and swollen with infection.  Both her arms were covered in blood that seemed to have run down from her wrists that had large angry black bruises overlapped with worn cuts.  Her tunic was covered in dirt, blood and what appeared to be vomit.  Her breeches were in little better condition.  She wore no shoes.  He could see fresh cuts and scrapes on them.  "What in the name of Shakith!"  He bent down and scooped her up in his arms, expecting protest, surprised when he got none.

Daine was to tired and in too much pain to argue about little things, so she let him baby her.  "Could I just have some water?  All they gave me was drugged water.  I'd like some regular water now."  Numair placed her on his cloak.  Buri came up to her with a traveling container of water.  Thanking her with a smile, Daine drank down the entire thing.

"Justice, boil the water we collected so we can clean Daine up some," Alanna commanded.  Daine jerked her head towards Justice for the first time.  The young eight year old was standing on the other side of the fire, looking on with appraising eyes.  Daine noticed her lick her lips in nervousness.  "Justice!" Alanna said louder to get the red heads attention.  Justice jumped and quickly began to do what she was told, staying for the most part on the opposite side of the fire.

Alanna worked quickly and quietly, every so often asking Onua to find a certain plant or weed for her; Lavender oil for the open bruises, fox weeds for the cuts and scrapes.  Looking up at Daine, she commented, "I haven't had to use this kind of healing in a long time, but I'm tapped out.  The little I recovered I used to create a decoy for those men, leading them in the opposite direction."  Daine nodded and smiled in understanding.

Numair sat behind her, as a sort of body pillow, holding her between his legs, wresting against his chest.  It was a comfort to have with the sometimes-stinging plant remedies.  But she could tell his mind was elsewhere.

Numair was desperately holding on to his anger.  Daine was a mess, to say the least.  This mage and his men had done this to her.  They had tortured her for two days.  He could feel the rage inside him building, his muscles twitching and shaking in livid anxiety.

Justice sat on the opposite side of the fire as Alanna and Buri worked on Daine.  Anxiety picking at the young girls nerves like a hot knife.  She'd surely talked to him a few times while they had her.  Had he told her what she's done to Daine? Told her about the attempts on her life? If he did, Daine would have figured out that her miscarriages hadn't been misfortune, but malice.  The firebirds would kill anyone who so much as stole a hatchling.  They'd probably first torture anyone who'd killed a hatchling.

What did humans do? Justice picked at her silver nails, and bit at her bottom lip.  She looked up to see Daine staring at her from across the fire.  Their eyes met.  And at that moment, when Justice saw the pain, anger, and betrayal in the women's eyes, she knew, knew that Daine knew, knew the truth.  She swallowed with great difficulty and broke away from the painful reminder of what she had done.

Alanna sighed as she examined Daine's arm.  "It's pretty bad, Daine."  Looking up, Alanna squeezed Daine's hand as she said, "We're going to have to burn the infection out."

Daine flinched noticeably.  Numair hugged her closer to him in reassurance.  Daine felt her heart rate pick up dramatically in fear.  "I can wait until we get back to the castle.  I can make it."

Alanna looked grim.  "Daine, your arm is infected.  It's already spread past the cut.  If we don't take care of it now, it could spread to your blood; and no amount of gift will be able to help you then.  We have at least a full days walk back to anyone, and that's only if we don't run into any trouble on the way.  You don't have that time."

"But the chances of the infection getting to my blood are slim."

"True, but the chances of it starting to rot your arm is high.  And what then, amputation? I don't think that option falls under 'better idea'.  Daine, I know it's not what you want to hear, but I don't see any other way.  My gift is drained.  It'll be at least a day before I can even light a candle."

Daine felt herself start to shake harder.  Numair whispered to her gently, assuring her he'd be there.  Daine nodded reluctantly.  Alanna pulled out her dagger, placed the blade in the fire and turned to Buri.  "Buri, you're belt."  Buri, whose eyes were wide, quickly stripped off her belt and handed it over.  "Numair, stay where you are and hold her head and uninjured arm.  Buri, hold her legs, will you.

"Sure," was all Buri could get out.

"I'm right here magelet.  I'm right here.  You're going to be fine," Numair cooed in Daine's ear when she shook with uncontrolled tremors of fear.

Buri knelt next to Daine's outstretched legs and firmly placed her hands on Daine's legs.  Alanna handed the belt to Numair and pointed to her mouth.  Nodding, Numair kissed the side of Daine's forehead and eased the folded belt between her teeth.  Gently but firmly, he pushed her head back against his shoulder and wrapped his spare arm around her shoulders while holding the hand on her good arm, careful of the wrapped bruises and cuts.  Alanna motioned Justice over to pass her things quickly when needed.  "Justice, as soon as I tell you, poor some of that colder boiled water over the cut to stop the burning." The young immortal nodded with unblinking eyes, taking a kneeling seat on the opposite side of Daine's body.  Alanna turned to Daine.  "Ready?"

Daine nodded almost imperceptibly and closed her eyes hard.

Alanna pulled the dagger out of the fire, letting it stand for a few seconds.  "On the count of three."  Daine nodded, her good arm gripping Numair for dear life.  Alanna looked up at Numair.  His face was almost unreadable.  But she could see one emotion clearly, pain.  Alanna smiled inside.  Rarely did people find true love.  She knew that for Numair, Daine's physical pain was his physical and emotional pain.  She closed her eyes in concentration briefly then opened them again.  She nodded to Numair, who nodded back.  

She turned back down to infected area and tuned the hot blade lengthwise.  She would place it along the cut all at once.  'Just get it over with Alanna.'  She began to count out loud. "One."  Daine whimpered through the belt clenched in her teeth.  "Two."  Alanna whispered loud enough for all to hear.  Then, without warning placed the burning blade against Daine's arm.

Daine's body jerked up as she let out a pained scream.  Buri put all her weight on top of Daine's kicking legs.  Numair gripping her upper body, his eyes shut, speaking to her in calm words.  Alanna, who had the injured arm gripped tight in one hand and the blade in the other quickly turned the blade over and reapplied its pressure.  Daine voice shrieked through the forest.  "Justice, now." Alanna instructed, pulling the dagger away.  Justice tipped the bowl, cold from the river, over the quickly blistering flesh.

Daine's body, which had been taught and jerking suddenly collapsed.  "What's wrong?" Numair demanded.

"She passed out.  She's all right," Alanna assured him.  Quickly she cleaned the now burned cut and wrapped boiled rip cloth around it.  After a few minutes she sat back.  "Lay her down and cover her up.  She needs to sleep.  She might get a fever tonight, so we have to keep her hydrated.  We shouldn't move her too much.  Pray to the mother that those rebels don't find us tonight."  She got up and walked away, pushing shaking hands through her hair.

Numair laid Daine down and covered her up.  Using a rag made of torn cloth, he washed away some of the sweat on her forehead.  Curling up next to her, he soon drifted off.

Buri, after returning from using the latrine looked at Justice.  "You want me to stay up?"

"No, I don't think I could sleep right now," answered Justice.

Buri smiled sadly. "I know what you mean."  She laid next to an already sleeping Alanna and dozed off herself.

Justice bit her bottom lip and whispered, "No, you don't."  Looking over to Numair and Daine's forms, Justice felt the familiar piercing quilt wash over her.  She rested her head on her knees and breathed a deep sigh.  Things were getting out of control.  More than she had thought they would.  Not only was she trying to understand what was going on around her, now she was trying to figure out what was going on inside of her.

She was feeling new things everyday that firebirds never felt. Strength and weakness were not thought of as the opposites in the immortal world, they were similar.  But now, she thought of them as humans did.  She didn't even understand what she was thinking.  She felt different. She felt fear and disillusionment and hopelessness and she felt…less… immortal.  She felt more /// human.  These feelings left a bitter taste in her mouth.  Was she becoming too human? What if she was? Could she ever truly be firebird in body AND spirit again if she always carried some humanity with her (if she ever did make it home)? Would she be part human and part immortal in a world where you could not be both? She looked towards Daine again.  'These were never worries Immortals had' she scoffed.  "Being human bites," she muttered.

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Hmmm, this was a long chapter.  Oh well, I'm sure the longer, the more you all enjoy, huh?  Anyway enjoy reading.  I'll update soon.  Bye for now.

Oh dear lord, I finally took the time to figure out the html stuff and it works nicely.  I think I'll do it that way from now on so I can use italics and stuff like that.  _SMILE_

Karigan


	25. Betrayal is for the weak of mind

Next Chapter!

**Keita**: thanks for all the reviews… I enjoy reading them.

**Wild mage of Tortall**: my same-word-meanings give the story character…don't you agree? : )

**Suteki de na**: Your reviews are always fun to read.  Burning the infection out is a proven method of killing infections as a last resort.  It's a form of sterilization.  That's why we boil water and burn needles with a match before using them for small medical purposes such as taking out a splinter.  Heat kills germs.  On another note… I'm curious as to your schizophrenic tendencies…. Please enlighten me. : )

**AngelBirdy**: As soon as I finish this story, I will most likely start the next story.  I have three planned out already.

**Kelsiface**: I pronounce it as the word justice.  It's supposed to have character definition.  Meaning, it's part of her character.  You won't see it much in this story as much as in the third (the way it's planned anyways).  The thing about firebirds is they are profits and seers of their own kind.  They can't see their own future, but they can 'sense' it.  For Justice, what she will become in the future directly relates to her name.  She will become justice for many in the future…but she is still young, she must grow and learn the 'true' meaning of 'justice.'

**White-wolf**: thank you for all the reviews.

**Queen-of-the-Jungle**: That's the reaction I want from the readers.  If I get you all to cringe at my words, I know you can imagine them.  It's what a writer strives for, connection with the intended audience.

**Jada Dekali**: That's fine.  Just let me know when you post them so I can take a look.  I'm anxious to see your work.  The pictures you have already are cool.  My favorite is the one of Daine.

**Martini**: You're always fun to read because you're so anxious.  Patience is something both you and I do not possess.  ; )

Ok, finally…ON WITH THE SHOW!

Karigan,

****

Complications

Betrayal is for the weak of mind

****

She watched as the sky began to turn from black to a deep blue, the stars dimming slightly from the sky.  The small fire that they had banked so that it wouldn't go out completely still glowed softly.  Alanna and Buri lay side by side on one side, sharing a cloak that doubled up as a blanket for them.  Numair lay on his back, a sleeping Daine sprawled out against his side, her head resting on his shoulder, and her heavily bandaged arm lay across his chest.

            Justice stretched her arms and legs as she stood.  She paced the small camp set up for a good five minutes before she noticed Alanna begin to stir slightly.  Justice walked to a near by Pine and sat at its base.  She scratched her head.  It itched beyond belief.  She had gone three days without being able to clean up properly.  Buri had washed most of the mud out of her flaming locks in the freezing creek the evening before, but it was still dirty and grimy.

            She curled her legs up and rested her small pale chin on her knees.  Her mind eating at her insides with determined vengeance.  Feeling her eyes begin to burn, she closed them tight and hid her face in her knees.  By the end of this, everyone would hate her, both humans and firebirds.  Daine and all the Tortallan's would hate her for causing Daine's miscarriage and the mage would hate her for not fixing his 'problem'.  The firebirds would hate her for getting caught and causing so much trouble.  Plus, Justice wasn't entirely sure that they would even consider her a firebird when they found out all she had been living as a human for so long.

From birth, firebirds where taught betrayal was for the weak of mind.  She had betrayed everyone she had come across in the last two years.  She clenched her eyes and ordered herself to stop thinking.  The Pine rumbled against her back, sensing her distress.  When she refused to answer, she felt something small land next to her.  She turned her head slightly to see a small cone lying next to her.  She reached out a small, perfect and silver nailed hand to pick it up.  It was a pollen filled cone.  The Pine whispered, 'A present to cheer the child firebird up.'

            The tears that had been burning her eyes brimmed and ran down her cheeks as she smiled  weakly.  The flora would never hate her, she realized.  In the end, she would still have them.  "Thank you," she whispered back.

            She heard a twig snap and swung her face around to see.  Daine stood there, looking at her with intense eyes.  Justice swallowed a bolder sized lump down her throat after hastily wiping away the tears from her cheeks.  'Here we go.  You knew this would have to happen, Justice.  Just…get the battle lines drawn out and no crying.'  "You're up."  Daine nodded.  "I didn't expect you to be the first one up." 'Might as well get the pleasantries out of the way,' she thought.  "How's your arm?"

            After a moment of silence, Daine sighed heavily and tore her piercing stare from Justice and looked down at her bandaged arm.  "It's doing alight.  It stings something awful and itches like crazy but, I feel all right."

            "That's good."  Justice shifted restlessly.

            Daine looked back up Justice with a sad look.  "You know why I came to talk to you."

            Justice nodded, finding a dead leaf next to her foot incredibly interesting at the moment.  She swallowed, clenched her eyes and with a cracking voice, squeaked, "You must hate me so much."  Again, tears brimmed, running down her cheeks as a silent sob escaped her lips.

            Daine's eyes softened dramatically.  "Here now, I don't hate you."  She walked over and sat next to the small girl.  "I'm just…confused.  I don't know what to think about all of this, much less know how to feel about it.  But one thing's for sure…" she waited until Justice looked up at her in curiosity.  "I'll never hate you, Justice."

Justice's eyes were red rimmed and puffy from crying.  She looked utterly confused at Daine's words. "Wha… I… I don't understand."

The tiniest of smile splayed upon Daine's lips.  She grew sad, then looked down as a look of concentration floated across her face.  Finally she looked back up at Justice, seemingly having found the right words.  "When he uses the bands, what does it feel like?  What happens to your mind?"

"I feel cold.  Like I've been dunked in a freezing lake.  It hurts really badly at first, like a thousand needles piercing my skin all over.  But then, I start to feel nothing.  I can feel this emptiness fill up inside me.  And the needles hurt so much, I welcome the emptiness.  It takes over.  It's like nothing matters anymore.  Everything is dulled out…less…important, I guess.  I fell of the side of a building once, my tunic hooked the window and I pulled myself back in.  Afterwards, when I was me again I could recall feeling nothing.  Where I would have been scared or surprised or nervous…I felt nonchalance.  Seeing myself do the things I've done, I'm almost thankful I don't feel anything while I'm doing them.  It's bad enough to feel the way I do afterwards."

Daine nodded.  "What you did, what you think you did…it wasn't you, Justice.  I mean, it was you, but not really.  Do you understand?"  Justice, utterly confused, shook her head no.  "These bands," she tapped the metal rings around the redheads ankles, "they have this power to disconnect your soul from your body in some way.  Your soul is good, Justice.  I know you would never hurt anyone willingly."  Justice's eyes clouded over and she turned away.  "What's wrong?"

"I did hurt people willingly.  I killed some of those men that attacked Alanna and me.  **I** killed them.  It was me.  I made that choice.  It wasn't the bands.  I am capable of that."

Daine nodded.  "Self defense is one of the only forms of violence that is not frowned upon.  They were trying to kill you, Justice.  No one would expect anything different from anyone in that situation.  Besides, it was their own choice." Now justice looked ready to repute her statement.  "It's true, Justice.  They gave you a choiceless choice, an ultimatum.  Kill or be killed.  Any idiot knows you wouldn't just stand there and let them kill you.  They made the choice of putting their lives on the line.  You can't hold yourself responsible for that.  If you did, you'd be feeling guilty for every mad-man in the Kingdom."

Justice sat pensively for a moment.  "So you don't blame me for…for…?"

"For my miscarriages.  I blame the mage."  She sighed.  "I won't lie to you, Justice.  There will always be a small part of me that connects you with the loss of my children.  A part of me will always feel some anger towards you.  But it's a very small part.  And my heart, my mind, and my soul know it's not true.  And that's what counts, not my pesky cynicisms."

Justice smiled at her and then turned serious.  She looked up at Daine and then back at the ground, considering her next move.  Suddenly, she flung herself forward and, being careful of her cuts and scrapes, crushed her in a cleansing hug.  Daine hugged her back, hot tears on her shirt from the crying redhead as the sky turned a deep pink and red with the rising sun.

****

            "Have you found her?" the handsome mage demanded.

            "No sir.  She escaped.  The firebird must have helped her.  A human couldn't have snuck into the camp unseen."

            The mage stood and stormed at the man.  "HALF OF YOU WERE SLEEPING! ANYONE COULD HAVE GOTTEN IN AND OUT OF THE CAMP! ALL OF YOU ARE USELESS! GET OUT OF MY WAY!" He burst of the tent and into his own personal tent.  Pacing, he grumbled as he twisted his hands.  Sneering here and there.  Finally, he came to a stop and with a toneless voice said, "No more games.  This ends now."  Sitting in his chair he mustered up all his strength and called upon his gift.  His body glowed a brown as he sent out his magic, attaching an ancient spell to it.

Dame cinto,

Dame poder,

Sober la que lleve mi encanto,

Ancianos, dame cinto,

Dame tsu ciela!

(Give me control,

Give me power,

Over her who wears my spell,

Ancients, give me control,

Give me her soul.)

****

DUHN DUHN DUUUUUUHHHHHNNNNN!

AAAAAAAH! CLIFFY!

I wasn't going to make this a cliffhanger, but it just got soooo long.  I had to cut it off.  Next chapter coming soon.  Bye for now.

Karigan


	26. Foxgloves and Twigs

Sorry for the wait.  This was a hard chapter to write.  Hope you like it. Enjoy

Karigan

*******

 'Foxgloves and twigs'

*****

The two women pulled away from each other; both wiping tears away.  Daine looked around.  "We should get back.  Numair will have kittens if he doesn't know where I am."  They got to their feet and brushed off the dirt.  Justice looked up to see Daine staring at her.

            "What?"

            Daine hesitated.  Licking and biting at her bottom lip, she stuttered over her next question.  "How…how did you…I mean, what did you use to umm…" she sighed in annoyance of her own nervousness.  "You know," she stated, waving in the general direction of her stomach.

            Justice looked lost at first but then her eyes opened wide in understanding.  "Oh."  She looked down at the ground as she spoke.  "Foxglove."

            "Floxglove?"  Justice nodded.  "But you can get foxglove anywhere.  Why were you breaking into the mages wing and stealing herbs if you were using Foxglove?" Daine looked confused, but continued on.  "Besides, why in the Gods' name would you use Foxglove? It's completely detectable with the gift."

            "Only if you're looking for it." Contoured Justice.  "Anyways, I don't put it in drinks or food.  I grind it up until it's finer than powder.  When it catches the wind, it floats in the air.  A person can breath it in.  So even if a healer were looking for poisoning, they'd be looking in the wrong place.  It wouldn't be in the stomach; it would be in the lungs.  I thought the dose I gave you would be enough the first time.  I used more the second, but still I didn't kill you.  Finally I found out you're God born.  That would make you more resilient to the drug.  And as for breaking into the mages wing; that was hardly more than a diversion.  I did it to keep people more interested in that than an eight year old girl wandering around the palace for so long."

            Daine stared, dumbstruck.  "Oddly, I'm impressed."  Justice quirked a smile.  Daine sighed, why don't you gather some dry wood for the morning fire and I'll go back and let them know we haven't disappeared again."

            Justice nodded and began to walk farther into the woods. Suddenly she stopped and turned quickly.  "Daine?"    Daine turned around with an answering question.  "Are you going to tell Numair? I mean, about what I did."  She was twining her thumbs nervously.

            Daine's expression softened.  "Not right now. Eventually, I'll have to.  He has a right to know, Justice."

            Justice took a deep breath.  "I know.  It's just…I like Numair very much.  It took so much for him to trust me.  After he finds out about what I did, I don't think he'll ever trust me again.  He'll know I have evil in me, even if I want to be trustworthy."

            Daine looked pensive as she answered.  "In each of us, two natures are at war – the good and the evil.  All our lives the fight goes on between them, and one of them must conquer.  But in our own hands lies the power to choose – what we want most to be, we are."  Justice stood in place, stunned by Daine's words, even after the woman walked back to camp.  Finally she turned and proceeded into some underbrush for some twigs, her mind going over an over those words.  'What we want most to be, we are.'

            She stopped for a moment in thought.  "What I want most to be, I am." She brought up her hands in front of her and observed her long slender pale fingers, sharply contrasted by bright silver nails.  She closed her eyes and imagined red, silver and gold feathers covering them.  Imagined the rustle of gloriously long tail feathers flexing for takeoff.  Imagined calling out to hear the echo of her voice resonate through dense forest.  Imagined firebirds streaking past redwood trees.  She could almost here them calling out, waiting for an answer.  She could almost feel her talons gripping the branch in anticipation.  She imagined them to be so close; streaking over valleys and rivers and mountains and deserts and…

Her eyes opened and she jumped back so quickly she almost tripped.  She looked around confused.  Why was she breathing so heavily?  She knew she had a vivid imagination; but never has she been carried away by it.  She smiled, remembering the image of firebirds flying over the desert.  "Desert?" the smile vanished and a frown appeared.  There were no firebirds in the desert.  Why would she imagine that? She had been the only one that had crossed a desert. Why would she imagine her colony flying over a desert?  She put the thought aside for later and continued gathering wood.

She scratched at an itch on her left ankle as she picked up another piece.  She bent down for the next when she froze.  Her eyes shifted to her legs.  She didn't move an inch as she waited.  There it was again, the itch.  Her breath hitched then began to speed up.  The itching grew worse.  She tried to tell herself she needed to get back to the others, but fear had an iron grip around her throat.  It got worse.  She could hardly stand it now.  "No." she whispered right before she felt her skin explode into pain.

With a strangled cry she dropped the wood and grasped various parts of her body; all stinging severally.  She scratched at her skin, desperately trying to take the pain away.  She staggered towards the camp.  If she could get to Numair, he could help her.  He could make it stop.  She had tears running down her cheeks.  The salty tears seemed to accentuate the stabbing pain in her face.  She staggered a few more steps and then tripped.  Letting out strangled cry, she cursed the humanity in her that made her want to die.  "STOP IT!" she screamed.  "Leave me alone!"  Then, then numbness started.  Her ankles deadened into soft relief.  He feet, and legs relaxed as the emptiness took away the pain.  This time however, she didn't welcome it.  She fought it.  "No! Leave me alone! Please don't do this!"  But the emptiness was winning.  She felt it in her chest and arms.  Felt it rise to her throat.  Felt her eyes turn cold and unseeing, until all that was left in pain was her mind.  Until that to became numb, empty of all that was the young firebird who had wandered from the canopy two years ago to get a better look at the first human she had ever seen.

Deep in her mind, she heard his voice.  The soothing tone he used with everyone he thought was fooled by him.  "You belong to me, my little sparrow.  You cannot fight the old ones."

*****

"I think that if we leave in an hour, we can be back by tomorrow morning."  Alanna was looking at the sun.  She stretched out and walked over to Daine.  "Let me look at your arm."

"Alanna, it's fine."

"Daine." Numair looked commanding.  "Let her look."

With a roll of her eyes, Daine acquiesced. An overprotective husband could be annoying sometimes.

Buri, who was still laying down with the cloak she and Alanna had shared wrapped around her body, peaked out from underneath in curiosity.  "Where's Justice.  You said she's be back in a few minutes."

Daine opened her mouth to answer when Justice walked into view.  "I'm here."  She dropped the collected wood by the fire and began stuffing the twigs into the fire.

Daine had smiled at the girl, but frowned in curiosity when Justice had not even looked up.  She walked over and began to help her with the fire, inching closer so that she could ask her privately what was the matter.  Alanna and Numair spoke as Buri turned over and grumbled about her throbbing wrist.  Daine took the opportunity.  "Justice, what's the matter?"

"These dry twigs were hard to find; it must have rained here yesterday."

Daine was confused.  Justice was never this cold towards anyone.  "Justice, if anything I said upset you, tell me.  I didn't mean for that to happen."  Justice continued to look down.  'Odd,' Daine thought. Justice was a very proud girl (probably a firebird quality); she wasn't someone to not look at you in the eye.  The only other time Justice hadn't looked at her was when they had run into each other outside the mages corridor.

Justice reached for another dry twig.  Daine reached out and placed her hand on Justice's shoulder.  "Justi…Unghhhh."  Justice had swung around faster than Daine could have imagined.  Pain began to swarm Daine's feelings as she looked at the small girl in confusion.  The red head was looking down.  Daine followed the line of sight.  Confused and shocked at what she saw.  The small girl on one end was still holding the twig she had picked up.  The other end was lodged deep into Daine's lower stomach. Slowly she wrapped her own hand around the twig.  Daine's eyes were wide in continued confusion as she silently raised her eyes to look at the girl again.  This time she could see the girl's eyes.

And she finally understood why the red head had kept her eyes down in the corridor when they had first seen each other.  Why she had kept her eyes down just now.  She had been under the mages control then, just as she was now.  It wasn't hard to figure something was very wrong when there was no iris or pupil in someone's eyes.  When all you can see was the white.  She understood what Justice had said about being empty.  Daine could see it now as she stared into the empty eyes.  There was no sweet, hot-tempered Justice in this body.

Daine felt some blood drip from the corner of her mouth just as she heard screaming and shouting.  But everything was much to dark.  She could feel herself falling.

*******

AAAAAA Cliffy….another one!!!!!!!! I know…..how horrible…! Oh the suspense….the horrid thought of waiting….hehehehehehehehehehe…………………GOOD!!!!!

Bye

Karigan


	27. I am

Real fast update to make up for he long pause of the last.  Enjoy.

Karigan

******

Complications

'I am'

******

He hadn't been fast enough.  He'd turned around at Daine's pained noise to find her impaled by a piece of wood.  Justice' back had been turned towards him.  His attention had been caught momentarily by the strange brown glow around Justice's ankle.  That's when he knew.

His mind had blanked out as he ran towards them.  He reached to yank Justice away from Daine but he was too slow.  Justice swung around, her hand slammed across his face.  He fell backwards from the blow, feeling the string of scratch marks down his face.  He looked up at Justice only to be completely taken aback.  Her eyes where **_white.  _**The dullness of those eyes was nothing short of nerve-racking.  She stared back at him for only a second before turning to meet an approaching lioness.

Alanna lasted only a bit longer.  At one point she had gotten Justice on the ground and pinned.  However, Justice's unique ability to squirm out of trouble came in handy.  With one might shove, Alanna was slammed into a tree and left with the wind knocked out of her.

Justice turned back to Numair as he scrambled over to Daine.  Blood gushed out from her abdomen.  He felt bile rise up in his throat as he lifted her limp body into his lap.  He looked back up at the eight-year-old red head.  Her expression was dull.  As if the life or death situation she was putting everyone in was given no second thought.  "Justice! Come out of it! Stop! You don't want this! I know you don't!"

She didn't seem to take his words into account as she picked up Alanna's crossbow.  She stuck the pointed end in the fire for a moment before placing it into the hook.  She pointed the arrow into the forest and pulled the trigger.  The flaming arrow whizzed by trees, disappearing.

She dropped the crossbow and bent to pick up Alanna's sword.  Suddenly, Buri's body slammed into the young girl, both the females flying to the ground.  Buri was fighting a loosing battle and she knew it.  Fortunately, Alanna, now with enough air in her lungs to stand, also launched herself into the fight.  It bought Numair a few extra seconds to wrap Daine's stomach with a cloth to stop the bleeding.  He kept his eyes on the fighting women, caution bit at him as the straining woman started to loose their grips on a dead-faced Justice.

That's when he heard it.  Feet.  He turned his head to the side to see the rebel army brake through the trees.  His heart stopped as he realized the arrow Justice had shot into the forest was a signal.  He stood with Daine's limp body in his arms as Justice finally broke away from the two women.  She stood there, staring at the men crashing through.

"JUSTICE!" Alanna roared.  "Snap out of it! This isn't you."

Then Justice did something they didn't expect.  She closed her eyes tightly.  When she opened them again the white had dulled out so they could see, though not well, her natural blue through the misty emptiness.  The girl looked down at the hands covered in Daine's blood.  She looked back up.  The blue was fading again, turning to white.  That's when she spoke.  The three tortallan's heard the tortured words squeeze out the girl's throat.  "What I want most to be, I am." The silence stretched for only a few seconds as the shouts of the oncoming rebel army grew louder and closer.  Justice turned her head towards the men, then back to the three next to her.  "Run."  They stood there shocked.  Looking at her with confusion and reluctance.  "RUN!" she screeched.  And they did.  The red head's eyes turned dull white again as she was once again lost in the emptiness.  The rebels rushing past her, chasing the others.

*******

I like this chapter.  I think it shows the ability of each of us to become who we want, despite all the odds.  Just like in real life, sometimes the first few attempts don't completely work out; but they give us hope.  : ) Hope you liked it.

Karigan

Next chapter coming soon.


	28. Admissions and Discoveries

Ok…I promise Daine isn't going to have a sucky ending in this first story.  You'll like it…I promise.  But for now…she kinda has to be trampled on in order for the ending to be the ending.  But don't worry.

*****

Complications

'Admissions and Discoveries'

*****

They ran.  Numair had gained some of his gift back during the nights rest.  Setting some magical traps behind them gave them a larger head start.  They needed it.  Numair carried Daine.  They didn't have the extra second to stop and see to her wound.  The thought that she could be dying in his arms made Numair's throat tighten in fear.

            "Give her to me, Numair." Alanna panted.

            "No. I've got her."

            "Numair, we need to go as fast as possible.  You've been carrying her for the last 20 minutes.  Take a break."  Reluctantly, he handed her over, barely slowing down for the exchange.  Buri took the lead, followed by Alanna with Daine in her arms and then Numair.  They raced through the trees, Numair looking back every few minutes to see if they had lost any lead.

            Buri stopped suddenly, almost tripping over her feet.  Alanna nearly crashed into her.  "What's the matter?" she breathed.  "Why are you stopping?"

            Buri looked at Alanna and smiled.  She raised her arm and pointed to some bushes.  "The riders came here two years ago for a wilderness test.  We found a an area completely surrounded by bushes and trees.  You can't see inside.  We could hide."

            "We have to get out of here!" Alanna snapped.  Even if they don't see us, they'll stick around until they do."

            "Daine's hurt." Buri whispered.  "We can't keep up this pace with her.  We need to bandage her up correctly."

            Alanna looked back at Numair who was keeping an eye out behind them.  He looked at her and nodded.  "We can't keep running Alanna.  Where would we go? At least we can help Daine."

            Alanna sighed then nodded.  "Ok. Where is it?"

            Buri lead them into heavy foliage.  She pushed aside branches and tall plants.  Finally they reached a small clearing, no more than 7 feet wide and 4 feet long.  Numair placed a silence spell quickly around them as Alanna set Daine down.  She and Buri quickly began cleaning the wound.  Alanna used the little gift she had regained the last day to clean the wound and mend it as much as possible.

            "It's not enough." She said after a few minutes.  "I don't have enough back yet to help finish it."

            Numair sat at Daine's head, stroking her forehead softly.  "Alanna…she's waking up."  Alanna came closer and looked at Daine's eyes as she opened them slowly.

            "Alanna? Numair? What happened?" came the hoarse whisper.

            "He got to her, Daine.  That bastard of a mage got to Justice again." Alanna growled.

            "Oh no." Daine breathed.  "Where is she?"

            "We don't know." Answered Buri as she continued cleaning the blood of Daine with a look of concentration.  "She attacked you and then us, but she stopped.  Said something about being what she wanted to be." Buri looked up at Daine.  "She let us go."

            Daine smiled through the pain.  "I knew she could."  She hissed at Alanna prodding and received a hushed apology.

            "Alanna," Buri whispered.  Alanna neared and looked at Buri questioningly.  Buri nodded towards Daine's lower body and Alanna's eyes opened in shock.

            "Daine?" Alanna questioned.  "Are you menstruating?"

            Daine looked puzzled.  "No.  Why?" she breathed.

            Alanna was quite for a moment before speaking.  "You're bleeding.  A lot."

            "What!?" Daine tried to sit up, but Numair held her down.

            Alanna reached for her gift, using the last of it to feel her friend's insides.  She leaned back after a minute and with a soft tone said, "You're pregnant Daine.  At least a month."

            Daine and Numair starred at Alanna, startled.  Daine lurched up despite the pain in her stomach and said with panic.  "Then why am I **_bleeding_**?"

            "I think you're having a miscarriage, Daine." Alanna said softly.

            "Wha…no…why?" Daine questioned with tears in her voice.

            "Daine, it's probably this stab wound.  It most likely triggered it."

            Daine clenched her eyes, shutting out the pain.  "We have to find Justice.  She's all alone."

            "We can't, Daine.  Look what she just did.  We can't help her until we're sure she's herself again." Numair whispered.  She was avoiding the subject.  For now, he let her.

            "No.  We can't just leave her.  It's not her fault.  It wasn't her."

            "We know that." Alanna continued.  "She helped us by letting us go.  But right now, we're no match for her.  We can't do anything.  We have to get out of here."

            A form slammed through the bushes, landing on hands and knees.  Numair jumped in front of Daine as Alanna unsheathed her sword and Buri gripped her dagger.  Justice scrambled to her feet.

            Alanna raised her sword.  "Stay away, Justice.  I don't want to hurt you."

            Justice was red in the face, sweating and shaking like a leaf.  "I…I'm not going to hurt you.  It's me.  The real me.  Please, it's just me."

            Buri raised her dagger as Justice took a step forward.  "Stay back, Justice.  We don't know for sure."

            Numair looked down at Justice's feet.  The brown glow had disappeared but her breaches where no completely soaked through in blood.  He looked back up the shaking body and saw her eyes.  They were crystal blue.  "It's alright," he said.  "She's alright."

            "Are you sure?" questioned Buri.

            "Yes," he answered.  "Her eyes.  I can see it in her eyes."

            Buri and Alanna put their weapons away as Justice breathed in deeply.  Her chin trembled as her eyes fell on Daine.  Tears brimmed and the young girl sobbed as she dropped next to Daine.  "I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry, Daine.  I didn't want to…I didn't want to."

            "Shhh…," comforted Daine weakly.  "It's not your fault."

            "It **_IS_** my fault!" she screamed.  "I did this to you."

            "We went over this, Justice. It isn't you doing it."

            "But you said what I wanted most to be, I would.  I wanted to be good.  I did.  But it wasn't enough." Justice sobbed uncontrollably.  "I don't want to hurt anyone else.  I don't want to kill any more people.  I took so many lives.  I killed woman and children, Daine.  I don't want that anymore.  It hurts so much to think about.  It hurts more than when he uses his magic on me.  Every time I think about burning the convent in Port Legann, or drowning those girls in the frozen river last winter in Corrus it hurts.  Every time I think about your miscarriages and how it was my entire fault, I want to die.  I'm a **_firebird, _**Daine. A **_firebird_**! I'm immortal and I want to die.  I'm not even a true immortal anymore if I want to die.  I've lost everything.  You can't trust me, none of you can.  I cant' be a firebird if I want to die.  And that's all I want.  I want to die so it can stop hurting."  Her face was so red; it looked as if it were on fire.  Tears poured down her cheeks as she sobbed.

            Daine was to weak to hug the girl, so Numair did.  He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried.  Alanna stared at the ground with angry eyes.  Buri had tears in hers.  After long minutes, she quieted to small hiccups.  Numair pulled away to arms length and said to her.  "We are going to fix this, Justice.  I promise you we will.  You won't have to hurt anyone else."  Justice's eyes lit up with hope as she hugged him again.

            "Justice, how did you get away so quickly?" Buri asked.

            "He's weak.  Very weak.  He used it all to find me and use the bands on me again.  It only lasted a few minutes past when you ran.  All the men where so determined to find you, they ignored me.  I'm sure they'll get it for not taking me back.  I found you here.  Even with your spell, I can hear you.  Remember."

            Numair nodded.  "Ok. First thing we have to do is…" Numair continued on as they planned their next move.

            Daine noticed much later that Justice seemed to have wandered off into space.  She sat on the ground, her knees up against her chest.  She stared into open space with a look of confusion.  "Justice, what's the matter?"

            Justice looked up suddenly.  "Nothing.  I just thought I herd something."

            "Hmmm, I wish these drugs would wear off so I could talk to the people again or maybe shape shift."  Justice mind wandered off again.  "Justice?"  The girl didn't answer.

            She was listening with every inch of her body.  She prayed to the God's that it hadn't been her imagination.  That she hadn't heard it just because she wanted to.  Seconds and minutes past as she listened as hard as she could, her ears straining for the slightest sound.  That's when she felt it.  The forest.  It was humming.  Not just the usual surrounding trees when she was around, but all of them.  The humming became outright singing as she felt the bushes scream in excitement.  She looked around in frenzy; her eyes wider than saucers.

            "Justice, what's wrong?" Numair stood in trepidation.  "Is it happening again?"

            "No." she answered.  "Don't you feel it?" The four tortallan's looked confused as she stood on her feet.  She placed her hands on a nearby tree.  The trees singing penetrated her body, making her bones vibrate too.  Her breathing became erratic and exited.  Her eyes shifting from tree to bush to plant.

            Her head snapped up towards the sky when she finally heard it again.  This time, loud and clear.  If she had ever doubted the firebird in her, the thought was gone now.   Every bone, every nerve in her body suddenly tightened in joy as she recognized the call of one of the firebirds.  She recognized it at once.  'Hunter'.  He was one of the strongest and largest firebirds.  It made sense she would hear his call first since it reached the furthest.

Numair jumped back in surprise when Justice's head had snapped to the sky.  What had surprised him was how the crystal blue eyes had suddenly flashed brilliant red.  She lowered her eyes to Numair, and with a tone that brimmed with melody and richness, she said, "Their coming."

            That's when she sprinted out as fast as her legs would carry her.  Leaving the safety of their hiding place.

            "Numair!" screamed Daine weakly.  "Go after her! She'll get caught!"

*******

**Jumps around clapping hands**…ooooooooooo here it comes.  The last leg of my first story.  It's almost done.  Two more chapters…MAX!!! **Jumps around madly**…hehehehehehe

Enjoy!

Karigan


	29. Wrath of the Firebirds and Magic Reveale...

Oh this is going to be such a great chapter…just wait and see.**jump jump jump**

*****

Complications

'Wrath of the Firebirds and Magic Revealed'

*****

"Justice!" roared Numair."Get back here!"

"Numair, go after her, quick! She'll get caught!" Daine pleaded.

Turning to Alanna, Numair pointed to Daine and ordered, "Keep her safe." With that he took off after the red head.He crashed through several bushes and plants cursing the entire way.What was that girl thinking? Running off like that could get her killed.He broke through the bushes to see Justice darting up a rather steep hill.He groaned and took off after her.Justice may have been faster, but Numair had the advantage of having long legs.He kept up with her, though for the life of him couldn't catch up."Justice, stop!"He could see her breathing erratically, which was odd, really.She ran for _hours _two days ago and didn't break a sweat.Though various things could have been the cause of that.She had just been under the control of a weak mage by extremely strong and old magic; and whatever it was she was chasing, it seemed to greatly affect her respiratory system even before she started running.

He jumped over a log that had fallen when he heard the horn.It stopped him in his tracks as a wide smile spread across his face.It sounded again."Riders." He whispered.'Well, it's about bloody time,' he thought.By the sound of it, they were maybe ten miles away.'Less than an hour.' But then, much closer he heard the shots of men coming from less than 200 hundred feet away."Damn!"He took off again; following the path up the hill he had seen Justice take.He rounded a corner to see her standing 100 feet ahead him.She stood still, her head tilted to the side as if straining to hear something.Then, as if she had heard something, she took off again.

"Justice, stop!" he raced up after her.She disappeared past some trees just as he reached her.He pushed through and stopped running so fast he nearly fell over the very deep cliff he had just come upon.Justice grabbed his arm to steady him then quickly turned back to open air."Justice! What in the Mother's name are you _doing_? The rebels are right behind us."

She turned her head towards him with a look of utter confusion."Don't you hear it?"

"Hear what? Justice, we don't have time for this."He was about to grab her hand to drag her away from the cliff when she suddenly took the largest breath of air Numair had ever seen anyone take.She raised her arms, spreading them wide as she let out the loudest screech he's ever heard come out of a humans mouth.Though, being completely honest, Justice wasn't completely human.It was as if a hawk screeched right next to his ear.The high-pitched screech echoed through the surrounding trees and far into the sky.Her eyes were tightly clenched as she screeched for all she was worth.Seconds past as he waited for her to end.

To his surprise, the screech suddenly changed.He almost tripped over his own feet when her screech suddenly deepened slightly to become a sort of siren.He held onto a nearby tree for support as he stared, mouth agape at the girl.Finally, she stopped; breathing so heavily, he thought her lungs would explode.She didn't pay him any notice as she stared expectantly at the empty sky.He was about to ask why she was screaming at the Gods so loudly when the sky was suddenly filled with answering sirens, so many, he couldn't even count them.They were lower pitched then the one Justice had let out.They filled the sky with harmonic sounds.He didn't know what to do or say as he swore he could feel the tree he had been holding onto vibrate madly until the sirens died out.

Justices eyes were so wide; he thought they would pop out of her face.Though the real fascinating part was how they had flashed bright red and stayed bright red as the sirens filled the air."What is that?" he asked in awe.

In a breathless melody of notes, Justice whispered."My colony."

He stared at her with amazement.He wanted to ask more but was interrupted by those annoying yet ever present rebel fighters."We have to get out of here, Justice.They'll be on his in seconds."

"No," She whispered. "Wait."

"Justice…" he didn't continue as men filed out from the bushes to surround them."Gods," prayed Numair.Man after man circled with smirks of triumph on their faces.Sardonically, he counted. 27 men.

"It's OVER." Snapped one of the men."Hand over the immortal, and we'll kill you quickly."

The sky was filled with sirens once again.This time, they were much closer.He along with Justice and the rebels turned towards the open sky past the tall cliff in curiosity.Numair's jaw dropped as Justice screeched in joy.Balls of fire exploded past a large Nimbus cloud.He tried to count.13, 14, 15, 16…but there were too many.Shocked gasp exploded behind him as the rebels took uncertain steps back.The balls of fire grew larger and larger as they neared."Numair…" called Justice.

"Yeah?"

"If I were you, I'd get down."

He wasn't one to question someone when balls of fire seemed to be hurling themselves at him.So, he got down.Though he wondered, for just a second, why Justice wasn't following her own advice.From the ground he saw the balls of fire suddenly become clearer.And this time, he was afraid his own eyes would pop out of his head.They were **_birds_**!They were shaped and moved like hawks, but they had the size of giant eagles, some appeared to have a ten foot wingspan.They had golden hooked beaks and feet with silver talons.Some had red eyes, some silver, and some gold.Most were completely fire red feathered, with the occasional silver or gold feather on their body.Surrounding their entire bodies was red, orange, blue, gold, silver and white flames that trailed behind them with the force of wind.

Closer and closer they came.The men who had been behind them suddenly started screaming and dodging in every direction when a group of what Numair could only assume were firebirds swooped over him, talons ready, and attacked the rebels, completely ignoring Justice for the moment.

Full out battle ensued as firebird after firebird swooped down in attack.The men fought back, swinging their swords and firing arrows covered in magic.The arrows, Numair suspected, had no effect on the firebirds for the same reason gift magic had no effect on Justice.They seemed, however, more leery of the swords and clubs."Stay down!" ordered Justice."Whatever you do, just stay down!"Again, he decided it wasn't his place to argue, though he felt like a coward for accepting non-involvement so easily.He watched as the largest of the great birds, a male at least 6 feet tall with piercing silver eyes clamped a swinging sword in his mouth and shattered the blade with a single snap of his might beak.Another bird, this one smaller, only 4 feet tall raked her talons across one of the men's throat.Another bird, a female with familiar brick red eyes ripped at a man's stomach with her beak, intestines spilling out for all to see.One of the rebels raised a club and slammed it down on her wing with great force.The firebird screeched in rage and pain.

Alanna had said Justice had 'snapped' when they were attacked.Numair had no trouble imagining Justice loose her temper, she's done many a times.But he had never imagined her 'snapping'.He didn't have to imagine anymore.Justice screeched in livid rage as she charged at the man with the club.She jumped onto his back screeching bloody murder.She raked silver nails into the man's eyes, rendering them useless.The man stumbled around, Justice clinging tightly, her long dirty, matted hair swinging around.From somewhere, he imagined from a fallen body, she had produced a dagger that she used to stab the man at the bottom of his back, severing his spine and paralyzing him.

The man collapsed and Justice landed on her bottom, breathing heavily.Numair looked around to see that nearly half the men had fallen and not one firebird lay injured.The slaughter continued as man after man fell to ground.Finally the last of them fell. Numair stared wide-eyed around him.

A large golden foot with silver nails landed in front of him.He looked up to see the biggest of the firebirds staring at him with piercing silver eyes.Numair swallowed in fear as the firebird lifted his foot in attack.Justice screamed the word 'hunter' and launched her self in front of Numair."He's ok. He didn't hurt me.He helped me."She turned to Numair, "get up Numair.Come on, get up." He didn't move an inch.'Coward!' he thought to himself.Justice smiled."It's ok now, Numair.They won't hurt you."Reluctantly he got to his feet.The giant firebird stared him down with predatory eyes as if apprising him.Finally, seemingly satisfied, the great bird squawked oddly.Justice beamed."He thinks you're the oddest shaped human he's ever seen, but he likes you nun-the-less." She came closer and whispered, "He's the head male of our colony.It's a really big praise."Numair quirked a smile.

From behind the huge bird came a quieter chirp that made Justice jump.'Hunter,' the largest bird moved aside as the smaller brick eyed female came forward, her head tilted to the side.Justice let out a cry of happiness as she launched herself at the bird.Wrapping slender arms around the bird's neck she buried her face in the feathers.The bird, on her part wrapped her wings around Justice in the closest resemblance of a hug Numair thought a bird possible of.He broke into a huge smile as the firebird was reunited with her long lost child.A larger bird, though not a large as 'hunter', with gold eyes came forward and rubbed his head affectionately down Justice's back.She turned and transferred her bone-crushing hug to the male firebird.Numair's smile widened as he guessed this firebird was her father.He couldn't see Justice's face to well but of what he could see she had her eyes clenched shut as silent tears cascaded down her face.The female firebird's eyes shown with happiness.Numair thought that if firebirds could cry, this one would be in pieces of hysterical relief.

Both birds began to clean and look Justice over from head to toe.An act Justice was thoroughly embarrassed about.Numair jumped in surprise as a small bird of only 3 feet high landed next to Hunter.He squawked and chirped for a moment and Hunter turned dark in anger.He screeched noisily, raking his claws into the earth.Numair jumped in surprise as Justice spoke suddenly next to him."The rest of the rebels are on the run.They're being chased away by other humans with horses on their shields."

"The riders." Numair said.

Justice looked upset. "They're all running; even the mage.Challenge says he's no where to be found."

"Challenge?"

"The messenger." Justice pointed out.

Numair grit his teeth in irritation at the news that the unknown mage had gotten away.He turned his head towards Justice when she sniffed.Tears were beginning to form again."Justice? What's the matter?"

"The bands." She whimpered."How am I going to get the bands off now?"

"I don't know." He answered."Maybe Alanna, Buri or Daine can think of someth…" he stopped."DAINE!"

He took off back down the hill back towards the small hiding place.Justice hesitated for a moment before looking pleadingly at her mother, father and Hunter.

*****

He crashed through the brush startling Alanna and Buri. "How is she?"

Alanna looked frantic."She passed out ten minutes ago.She's loosing too much blood through the wound and I have no doubt she's miscarriage.Numair, if we can't stop the bleeding, she's going to die."

"What do we do?" he asked desperately.

"Daine?" came a small voice from behind them.Justice.She stepped forward and looked at the rapidly paling face.Buri let out an unladylike scream as two large birds with red feathers (flames no longer present) cramped up the already small space.She turned to her mother and begged, "Can't you do something mama? Please don't let her die.She helped me…she kept me safe and promised me I'd get to go home.Please don't let her die.I did that to her.Please!" she pleaded.

Justice's mother looked sad as she chirped a response.Justices eyes filled up with tears.Numair looked hopefully at her."She says firebird healing magic only works on firebirds.There's nothing she can do."Numair's heart fell.

"There must be something!" he moaned."Justice.You said that destiny is unchangeable.In my visions, Daine was in them.They haven't happened yet so she can't die.Not now.Remember.Please Justice don't let Destiny change on me now." He pleaded.

"I…I don't know what to do." She cried.

'Perhaps you should ask for the flora's assistance.' Offered Hunter.Justice turned to him, the humans oblivious that the bird had said anything.

'I…I don't understand.' She answered.

'The flora's magic is much stronger than ours.Perhaps if you ask…'

Justice thought on that for a moment.The flora never revealed their secrets to humans.It would take a lot of convincing.But she was willing to try anything.

"She stopped breathing!" cried Buri. Numair let out a cry of pain as he wrapped shaking arms around Daine.Justice closed her eyes and begged with all her might.

*****

He was loosing her.It wasn't possible.How could he still be breathing when he was loosing Daine? He held on to her and rocked as the last of her life seeped from her body.He pushed aside the hair that clung to her forehead and kissed her eyes, nose and mouth over and over, begging for her to stay.From the corner of his eyes a light caught his attention.His head snapped to the side to see vines from the surrounding trees begin to glow a deep brilliant green.To his utter shock, they began to move.They shifted towards him as the light grew and spread.Alanna and Buri gasped in shock as the vines began to slide towards Daine's limp body.Numair felt himself being pulled away.He fought until he heard Justice's soothing melodic voice, "Let them help."

He backed away as the vines climbed all over her body, strategically placing themselves over cuts, bruises and gashes.A handful of vines surrounded the blood soaked bandages around her wrist and arms, some around her face, others at her feet.A large portion wrapped themselves around her lower stomach and pelvis.The vines glowed softy producing a gentle heat around her face arms and feet.They dimmed.A few seconds later the vines around her stomach exploded into brilliant green magic.It penetrated her body.Threads of green could be seen entering her blood and skin.Her stomach glowed green for an endless second before it dimmed out again.Then a single glowing vine crawled up her stomach and chest to rest at her mouth.It glowed for only a moment before Daine took it an exploding breath of air.

*****

A/N:One more chapter to go!Weehoo!Aren't you excited? I am.Eheheheheheheheheeeee.Tell me what you think.


	30. Simplicity

First of all I'd like to say thank you to all the readers who reviewed my story.  Really.  You all have no idea how much your words of encouragement have meant.  I started this story with little hope of anyone liking what they read.  Through the entire story, I've received reviews from so many of you.  Special Thanks to White-Wolf and Veralidaine for giving so many reviews.  Mazuku-Princess, you also rock! Queen o the Jungle, can't forget you. J But most of all-thank you _KIETA, _who gave a review for all but one chapter…*Smile*.

Just to let all of you know I received over **_400_** reviews on my first story.  You have no idea how happy I am about that.  Over 90 reviewers contributed, voted and gave opinions and suspicions.  You all are sooo cool.

Ok, enough with the thanks.  J  On with the show…I mean, the ending, I mean…well, you know what I mean.  Heehee.

*****

Complications

Simplicity

*****

            He hadn't realized he'd stopped breathing.  Didn't realize that the moment he'd thought he'd lost Daine, it had become impossible for him to breath.  So when whatever miracle the Gods had given him gave Daine her own breath back, his lungs screamed painfully for their own refreshing breath.  He felt dizzy, even though he was kneeling on the ground.  When she gulped down air as color returned to her freshly healed face, he felt everything inside of him crumble in relief.

            He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up against his chest roughly.  Daine's breath came heavy for a few seconds but evened out nicely.  It didn't matter; he couldn't seem to rid himself of the sheer panic that ran through his veins.  His heart pounded mercilessly against his chest making his lungs contract rapidly.  His throat was completely useless as it clenched up with emotion.  He gripped her body to him so tightly she squeaked.  He wasn't embarrassed when a few tears escaped his clenched eyes.  And despite all of Alanna and Buri's words, he couldn't bring himself to let her go.

            "Numair…" whispered Daine.  "Are you ok?" The soft voice was muffled in his shirts.

            He pulled away slightly and looked down at her eyes, now unmarked or scrapped.  He tangled his fingers in her brown curls, his palms cupping her face.  She stared back with reassurance and love.  His throat worked painfully a few times before he opened his mouth.  His voice cracked with emotion as he spoke.  "No more.  No more.  I can't take this anymore Daine, I can't.  You can't….you can't keep scaring me like this.  I…I don't have the strength to keep thinking I'm going to loose you.  So no more…no more scaring me within an inch of my life, all right? Just…promise me no more.  I can't take it anymore Magelet.  No more."  Tears of anguished relief brimmed in his eyes as he stuttered through his speech.

            Daine breathed in audibly at his words, her mouth open slightly as she searched his pain filled eyes.  "Oh, Numair…don't cry…it's alright." She ran her smaller hands along his cheeks in reassurance, shocked to feel his entire body shaking.  

            "Just…Just don't leave me."  His voice rose and cracked with his last word as tears spilled over.  She hugged him to her this time, his face buried in the crook of her neck as his body shook with tears.

            "I'm right here," she whispered to him.  "I'm not going anywhere."  He lifted his face and crushed his lips to hers, desperate and hungry for more proof she was in one piece.

            It took them a good twenty minutes before they had calmed down enough to look around themselves.  Numair was startled to see no one around the small space.  He turned to Daine when she chuckled.  "I guess they thought we needed some time alone."

            He grinned evilly.  "Just wait until I get you home."  Daine laughed.  With a groan he got to his feet.  He grabbed both of Daine's hands and pulled her up to stand next to him. He looked her over thoroughly.  Her face was flawless; no bruises left.  They unwrapped the bandages around her wrists and arm to find them not only healed but also scar-less.  Daine stared at her arm in awe.  The blistering burn/slash was completely gone.  Her feet didn't hurt or itch and better yet, there wasn't a whole in her stomach.  She looked up at an equally astonished Numair and smiled brightly.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Great." She answered in confusion.

He smiled.  "Let's find the others."  They pushed past the bushes and foliage to come upon Alanna, Buri, Justice and two firebirds.  The group turned to stare at them with knowing eyes.  Justice giggled madly, Alanna hid a smile behind her hand, Buri chuckled as the two firebirds quirked their head in curiosity when Numair and Daine both blushed crimson.  "Nothing _happened_!" Numair growled in irritation.  Buri outright snorted in mirth.  Numair glared at her for good measure.

*****

'You are a very special human; but I'm sure you are already aware of that.' Commented Lorelei.

Daine smiled at Justice's mother as she washed her hands.  'I've been told as much.'  There was a moment of silence before Daine spoke again.  'You have a beautiful name, I've never heard it before.'

The red-feathered bird chirped in laughter.  'A human boy gave me that name when I was very young.  He told me that my song was so beautiful he had no choice but to seek me out.  He was the first and only human to ever catch me.  He was a nice boy, very sweet and good to me; brought me freshly caught fish for two straight weeks.  He named me Lorelei- meaning….Siren…or a luring call.'  Daine smiled.

Daine looked around nervously.  'You…aah…wanted to speak with me?'

'Yes.' Answered Lorelei truthfully.  'My daughter told me her very long story this afternoon.  I wanted to thank you…no…no, that's not enough.  I want you to understand how indebted to you I am.'

Daine's mouth dropped.  'Oh, no…no, really.  I didn't do anythi…'

'You saved her.  You saved her life, you saved her mind, and you saved her soul.  You kept her safe in everyway when I could not.  I owe you my child's life.'

Daine cleared her throat nervously.  'You saved mine…with the magic, so we're even.'

'No.  _I _nor Justice nor Hunter saved your life.  It was not our magic nor doing.  Even if it were, I owe you more than that.  You did not save my life; you saved more.  You saved my child's life.  There will never be anything I can do for you that will be worth more than that.'

Daine blushed madly.  'Thank you is enough, really.  Knowing Justice is safe and going home is enough for me.'  She looked thoughtful for a moment.  'I've never had a child, but, I've lost two before they were born.  The entire time Justice was with us, I couldn't help but feel for you; how much pain you must have been in not knowing where she was or if she was all right.  I wanted to give you back what I couldn't have.'

Lorelei turned and gently rubbed her beak along Daine's stomach.  'If I understand correctly, you will soon be blessed with your own child.'

Daine beamed in happiness.  'Eight and a half months away.  I can't believe I didn't realize I was pregnant.  I'm nervous, but I'm hoping for the best.  The magic you used….' Daine stopped at Lorelei's stern look.  'The magic that healed me, healed my child as well.  I could feel it.  Feel the magic inside of me, somehow melding with my body.  It's magic I've never felt before.  What was it?'

Lorelei made clicking sounds of consideration.  'It is not my place to explain the secrets of the forest.  It has many.  All you need to know is that the world was full of magic long before there was the gift or wild magic.  It is very strong magic…almost as strong as the Gods.  It has no limits, only obstacles.'

They stood in silence as Daine considered the immortals words.  'I…I hope that we won't be forever parted, I know you live so far away…but…I'll miss Justice; that's for sure.'

'I have a feeling you and I will never meet again; but our paths are not finished crossing quite yet.  Of that, I am sure.'  Daine smiled.

*****

"The riders caught a few stragglers; but they're refusing to talk," sighed Numair.

Justice kicked at a rock in irritation and breathed a deep sigh.  "I heard."

Numair turned and kneeled in front of the eight-year-old.  "Justice, I'm sorry we didn't catch him.  I'm sorry we don't even know his name or what he wanted.  But, most of all, I'm sorry we cant get these things off of you."

Justice's mouth quirked at his words.  _She_ knew what the mage had wanted, but damn if she ever got to tell anyone that useful bit of information.  Firebird rules of magic didn't seem to be very helpful lately.  She shrugged.  "It's not your fault."

"We're going to keep looking Justice.  We won't stop until we find him.  When we do, we'll find you and get these things off so you can turn back into a firebird."

Justice shook her head as he spoke.  "He ran.  Probably to hide.  It could be years before anyone even hears from him.  I don't want to spend that much time worrying over it." She smiled sadly.  "I get to go home.  That's enough for me.  -Even if I am stuck in human form- I get to go home.  It's not so bad once you get used to it.  Mama and Papa don't care I'm human, nor does Hunter or the rest of the colony.  They're happy to have me back…featherless body and all." Justice chuckled at herself.  Numair smiled as well, though he could tell Justice was still bothered she would have to return home stuck in human form.

He smoothed her silky flaming red hair out of her face.  "You're a very special girl, Justice.  Firebird or Human, you'll grow up and do something special, I can tell."  She beamed at him.  He continued.  "You gave me hope when I had none Justice.  Hope for Daine, hope for a child, hope for myself.  Even with all the Destiny talk, you still managed to bring me hope.  I'm going to miss you very much."  She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.  Numair dropped to rest completely on his knees as he hugged her back.

"I'll miss you too." She half cried.

They began to walk back to the others for final good-byes when Justice tugged on Numair's arm.  He stopped and looked at her questioningly.  She swallowed and said, "Just to make sure, what I showed you, the other day –the gift I gave you-?"  Numair nodded.  "It's for you and you alone.  Do you understand?"

"Didn't we go over this already?" he asked.

Justice gave him a look that shut him up.  "I don't know everything there is to know about Firebird Magic, but I know this…that one rule is the most important.  I don't know why or how…and I don't know what would happen if it were broken; but I'm not willing to be the one to break it and find out.  I know it will be hard, there are things I wish I could tell you that I can't, but you have to trust me on this one.  You can't tell anyone…not even Daine.  You can't tell her _anything_, understand?"

Not tell Daine about the beautiful child he'd seen.  Not tell her about the eyes that haunted him constantly.  The joy at seeing her in visions of the future, whether he believed in Destiny or not.  It would be hard…keeping it from her, but some things weren't questioned.  This was one of those.  "I understand."  Justice nodded, convinced.

They came into view of the others.  Justice saw Alanna and Buri.  She waved happily at them and began to run towards them.  She stopped suddenly and turned back to Numair.  "You know what you said, a few weeks ago, about Destiny just being this game of chance, something you'd just have to wait for?"

Numair scrunched his nose. "I remember."

Justice looked contemplative for a few seconds before smiling slightly.  "Destiny…it's…it's not a matter of chance, it's...a matter of choice."  She quirked as smile at him.  "And it's not something to be waited for either."  She started walking towards the others again.  She turned and started walking away from him backwards, a smile plastered across her face.  "It's something to be achieved."  She turned forwards again and ran towards the others.  Numair smiled.  She would do something very special one day, he'd bet his fortune on that.

*****

Everyone had said his or her good-byes.  There were tears and there was laughter. Everyone was set to go.  Justice preparing to climb onto Hunters back for the first part of the journey home.  The girl looked absolutely dwarfed by the Firebirds mighty size.  From behind Raoul popped a little slender bluish green head.  Kitten.  Hunter screeched in surprise as Lorelei squawked in disgust.  Kitten turned a deep gray, disgruntled by so much rejection.

Daine giggled.  "It's only Kitten.  She only wanted to say good-bye."

Justice inched closer to her mother, eyes wary of the little dragonet.  Kitten stepped forward and came closer to her.  Justice squeaked in fright hiding behind her mother's protective wing.

"She won't hurt you, Justice; honest." Daine tried again.

Justice came out from behind her mother and slowly approached the baby dragon.  She cleared her suddenly dry throat.  "Umm, bye dragon…have a…nice…ahh…life."  Kitten took a few steps closer, observing Justice curiously.  She sniffed at her feet and ankles…Her little snout rubbing against the bands.  "What's she doing?"

Daine scrunched her nose.  "I don't know."

Kitten began to make a series of clicks and trills and the young girl.  All eyes stared at the baby dragon curiously.  "Daine…" offered Numair,  "doesn't that sound a lot like the noise Kitten makes when she's…"

All of the sudden, the bands around Justice's ankles unlatched.  They still surrounded her ankles, the skin, newly healed, attached around them, but they were no longer latched.

Silence.

Not a single word was spoken.  Not a single chirp nor scratch nor cough nor gasp.

Dead silence as the entire group stared at the bands around Justice's ankles in shocked silence.

Numair, finally finding his voice, finished his sentence.  "…opening locks?"

Justice began to breath heavily.

"Oh my Gods." Whispered Daine.

Hunter squawked in agreement.

Buri, ever-observant breathed.  "She just unlocked those _bands_, with the same spell she uses to unlock the pantry doors in the **_kitchens_**."

Alanna whispered, "That was…"

"**SIMPLE**!" blurted Buri.

"Get them off." Whispered Justice.

Alanna kneeled down and gently began to pull at them.  Justice winced in pain.  Alanna pulled out her dagger and gently began to separate skin from band.  Dislodging the curved band from flesh took almost 10 minutes.  Finally, after much whimpering from Justice's part, Alanna got the one off.  She handed it to Buri and began to work the second.

Ten minutes later, Alanna separated the last of her skin form it.  Everyone stared at Justice, waiting for an explosion or a bright light.  Waiting for her to change back into a firebird.  She did.  But not with bright lights.  Curiously, it happened the same way Daine shape-shifted.  She began t turn bright red.  Her hair shortened and disappeared into a golden crown of feathers.  Her arms stretched into golden tipped wings.  Her feet shortened into golden hawk legs with silver talons.  Her mouth lengthened into a golden beak.  But her eyes…they stayed the same crystal blue.  Everyone knew she would always carry some human characteristics in her.  It would make her all the better. 

In only a minute the small girl disappeared into a small 2 and a half-foot firebird.  Unlike the adults, she wasn't for the most part, completely red.  From earlier discussions, the Tortallan's had learned hatchlings were born completely silver.  When they were a bit older they turned completely gold.  Slowly, they would turn brilliant red as they grew.

She screeched in happiness hopping around madly.  Her mother and father immediately began grooming familiar feathers.  'It's time to go,' declared Hunter.  Daine translated.  Last minute good-byes were exchanged as one by one 35 firebirds took flight in the air behind Hunter.  Lorelei and Justice were the last to take off.  Justice looked back at Daine and Numair once more.  Her mother screeched for her to come.  The young firebird screeched in joy, flapped her wings and took off into the air.

Numair came up behind Daine, hugging her.  "Do you think we'll ever see them again, Numair?"

"I don't know Magelet."

"I hope she doesn't forget about us."

As if to answer, a high-pitched siren came from the trailing firebird, soon joined by the others.  Harmonic sirens filled the air until they were to far to be heard.

"She won't forget us." Assured Numair.

*****

Epilogue 

"Get it out, get it out, get it _OUT_!" screamed Daine.

"Calm down, Daine."  Alanna soothed.

"Calm _DOWN? _You want me to calm _DOWN! _Alanna, I'm passing something the size of a watermelon out of a whole the size of a lemon and you want me to calm _DOWN!_"

Alanna smirked as she sat next to a sweating Daine.  "Something like that."

"Is it that bad?" questioned a nervous Princess Kalisen.

Daine stared at her hard.

"We just have to get her mind off of the labor pains for a few more minutes…she's not quite dilated enough," supplied the midwife.  

"How do we do that?" asked Kali.

"I…don't…care…" breathed Daine.  "Just talk about something! Anything!"

Kali looked blank.  She raked her mind for subjects that could distract Daine.  She came up with one quick enough.  "I'm betrothed to Emperor Kaddar." She blurted out.

Alanna, Buri and Daine all turned to her suddenly and called in unison, "WHAT?"

Kali shrugged.  "It's all arranged.  Six months."

Daine grabbed her hand.  "Are you all right with this Kali?"

Kali smiled.  "He's a good man.  Even you said he would make an excellent ruler.  I respect what he's trying to do for his kingdom.  One day, I'm sure I'll learn to love him."

Daine, breathing heavily scrunched her nose up at Kali.  "You're…so…weird."

Kali burst out laughing.  "I know.  But it got you're mind of the pain now didn't it."

Daine moaned in pain.  "Thanks for reminding me."

"I wonder what color eyes she'll have.  Blue like you or black like Numair." Questioned Onua from a chair across the room.  Daine smiled at her.  Eight months of recovery had made Onua extremely cabin sick.  She sat, resting in the corner.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," answered Kali.

"Actually, we won't know for a few weeks.  Babies are born with gray eyes…it'll get its true color soon."

"Ok Daine.  I want you to give me one big push," called the midwife.

She scrunched up and pushed.  "AAAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHH………"

()()()()()()()

He stood in the hall outside the birthing room, eyes blood-shot, nervously rubbing his marriage ring.

George chuckled.  "She'll be alright laddy.  She's had a perfect pregnancy, no complications."

The door opened and Alanna pocked her head out.  "Numair, you can come in now."

He pushed through the doors and into the room full of woman.  Daine lay on the bed, thoroughly exhausted. Sweat dripping down her forehead.  He kneeled down next to her bead and pushed aside strands of curly wet hair.  He kissed her forehead when she smiled at him.  From behind him he heard the new born cries of his child.  His throat caught with emotion.  "It's a girl," breathed Daine blissfully.

He smiled a knowing smile.  "A girl."

"I'm just cleaning her up a bit." Informed the midwife.

"We haven't picked out a name, Numair." Daine breathed.

He smiled.  "You have a name in mind?"

"No." she answered honestly.  "You pick I'm to tired to think of one."

He looked thoughtful.  He hadn't seen his daughter yet but he could feel her inside his heart.  He remembered the visions of her face, of her eyes.  "How about…Jade?"

"Jade?" questioned Daine.  "That's an odd name."

He smiled, "If you don't like it, we can name her something else."

"No, no…Jade is fine. I like it."  He smiled.

"Here she is, all cleaned up and ready to see meet her parents," cooed the midwife.

She handed the small baby to Daine who leaned up against the headrest with Numair's help.  Tears of joy sprung from her eyes.  She's so perfect.  Ten toes, ten fingers…perfect."

The woman crowded around them, cooing and awing at the baby.  She stirred from her slumber and opened her eyes to the world for the first time.

Daine gasped audibly, as did the other woman in the room.  Numair felt his throat constrict with emotion but otherwise made no noticeable sounds.

Daine looked from Numair to the baby then back to Numair.  "Numair, her eyes…she has green eyes."

"I've never seen eyes that green." Kali said in awe.  "Not even mothers.  They're…they're the color of…_Jad.e_"

Alanna squinted curiously.  "We shouldn't be able to see the eye color yet, it's too soon."

"Does it matter? Asked Numair.

"No!" said Daine.  "It's just…Numair, how did you know…how did you know she'd have green eyes?  You named her Jade before you even saw her and she has green eyes."  Numair smiled warmly.

"I…just knew."  He kissed Daine's forehead again and then his daughter's forehead.  Daine smiled.  

He whispered warmly to his daughter. "Welcome to the world, Jade." 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THE END 

*********

**I hope you all enjoyed this story.  I sure did.  Just to let you all know I will be starting the next story in about a week.  I gotta get back to school on Monday and get settled again.  I know you all have unanswered questions, but I'll answer them in the second and third stories.  They'll probably be just as long as the first.  Thank you all for reading.  Let me know what you think of my ending.  (Told you I'd give Kitten a special role).  Thank you,  
Karigan ****J**


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